Duke of Sussex accuses security body chair of withholding al Qaida threat information

The Duke of Sussex has accused the chair of the Royal and Public Figures Protection Executive Committee (Ravec) of failing to relay information about an al Qaida threat made in 2023. Harry's legal team is understood to have alleged that the Ravec chair was aware of the threat but did not pass details to his security staff or to authorities in the United States, where he was residing at the time. Ravec is the body responsible for authorising protection for senior royals and includes representatives from the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, and the Royal Household.

In a letter sent this month to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Harry requested her personal intervention in determining whether his family should receive close police protection. The Duke believes his family faces an 'international threat'. This development follows his return to the UK with his wife and children for an extended stay.

Intelligence and previous security challenges

Intelligence concerning an al Qaida document that referenced the 'assassination' of Prince Harry was shared with the FBI through the Five Eyes intelligence alliance in late 2023. This alliance comprises Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Reports indicate that since 2007, there have been at least six threats or plots against the Duke from the Taliban, al Qaida, or their supporters.

Harry previously lost a legal battle against the Home Office regarding security arrangements for himself and his family in the UK. This case concerned the level of protection provided after he ceased to be a working royal. In written submissions during his appeal, it was stated that Ravec ruled in 2020 that there was 'no basis for publicly-funded security support for the duke and duchess within Great Britain'.

Following this decision, al Qaida reportedly called for Harry 'to be murdered'. His security team was informed that the terrorist group had published a document stating his 'assassination would please the Muslim community', according to Shaheed Fatima KC, representing the Duke.

The Duke has previously stated that he faces a greater risk than his late mother, citing 'additional layers of racism and extremism'. A risk assessment, ordered by Ravec, is understood to have been completed at the end of July, but Harry reportedly does not know its outcome.