15-04-22, 04:32
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re: Invictus Games 2022: Prince Harry & Meghans' Secret Visit to Queen
Invictus Games 2022: Harry and Meghan Markle Given VVIP Status by Dutch Police - With No Credible Threat
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will travel to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games this weekend. It has been confirmed the couple will be protected by in-country officials
Daily Mirror 15 APR 2022
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been given “VVIP status” by Dutch police and assured there is “no credible threat” to their safety, ahead of their visit to the Netherlands this weekend for the Invictus Games.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel with a private security team who have liaised with and confirmed that the couple will be protected by in-country officials.
The couple’s trip comes just weeks after Harry stayed away from the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month.
He is currently locked in a bitter legal battle with the British government after his taxpayer-funded Met Police armed guards were removed when he quit royal duties.
In High Court papers the duke says he “does not feel safe” in Britain without armed security and says the decision is “unlawful” and “unfair”.
Harry and Meghan at the Invictus Games in 2017
Prince Harry did not attend a memorial for Prince Philip last month due to safety fears
The Mirror exclusively revealed last week that Meghan would make her first trip outside of the United States for two years to accompany Harry to Saturday’s opening ceremony, while they will be followed by a documentary crew from streaming giant Netflix along the way.
Security sources have confirmed to The Mirror that the Duke and Duchess’s private security team have liaised with Dutch authorities and secured a “high level multi-agency protection programme” for the couple for the duration of their trip.
It includes direct links to all law enforcement and emergency services, as well as “detailed exraction processes” in the event of a “personal or larger scale terror attack”.
Harry and Meghan are also understood to have undergone a “hostile environment” training course run by their private security team aimed at protecting them.
The couple have been assured there will be no threats for their safety
Sources have confirmed reports that the Dutch national police’s DKDB Royal and Diplomatic Security Service will have overall responsibility for the Sussexes.
Meghan will only stay for a “few days” while Harry will stay for the duration of the Games, but it is not known whether he will visit his family in the UK as part of his trip overseas.
Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, said the idea that Harry is unable to come to the UK due to safety concerns is “sheer unadulterated nonsense”.
Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are understood to have armed protection when they are in the United States, but their private team are not permitted to carry arms in Britain or in Holland.
One source close to the Sussex camp said: “Harry and Meghan have received absolute top assurances that there is no credible threat to their safety.
“This is the view of the Dutch authorities and other agencies across the continent.
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is currently locked in a bitter legal battle with the British government
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