A FORMER royal protection chief has rubbished Prince Harry’s claim that his return to the UK is “unsafe”.
The Duke is seeking round-the-clock police protection because his “security was compromised” when he returned to the UK this summer.
His and Meghan’s security was costing taxpayers around £5million a year when they lived in Britain.
They now fund their lifestyle thanks to his multi million-pound Netflix and Spotify deals — and Harry says he would not burden the taxpayer with his policing costs.
But it is understood that government officials refused his demands fearing it would open the door to any wealthy individual to use The Met’s crack team as their private police force.
Harry considers himself a security risk for life because he is sixth in line to the throne, and a target from extremist threats because of his two tours of combat in Afghanistan.
Now the former head of Scotland Yard’s royal protection unit says Harry is “creating scenarios that don’t exist” in regards to his safety.
Dai Davies told the Mirror: “A lot of these issues appear to be greatly inflamed by Harry and his advisors, it really doesn’t need to be so fraught.
“If ever there was a proper credible threat to Prince Harry or his family then the Met would take the appropriate action.
“If he or his family were to return to Britain in an official capacity or to support the Queen during the Platinum Jubilee events I’m sure he would be afforded the necessary protection.
“I would argue robustly against his case that he is not safe in the UK. If ever the British intelligence services did discover a threat to him and his family they are hardly going to sit on it. It appears that Harry is creating scenarios that do not exist.”
Speaking to Mail Online he added: “You can’t just hire the services of Scotland Yard as and when you feel like it.
“These are highly trained personal protection officers with access to sensitive intelligence, it is not like when football clubs pay for officers to be at football games.”
It is estimated 24-hour police security for Harry’s family would cost him £80,000 a week.
He officially quit royal duty in April 2020. In the US, he, Meghan and children Archie, two, and seven-month-old Lilibet are protected by £7,000-a-day security guards.
NO HELP FROM THE QUEEN
Last night it was also revealed that the Queen will not help Harry in his demand for Met Police bodyguards.
Harry has been told the Met Police are not “guns for hire” and cannot be treated as a private force for the rich and famous.
A royal source said: “This is not a matter for Her Majesty. She certainly won’t cave in to his demands.
“It is a matter for Her Majesty’s government. Who gets protection is not a gift the Queen can decide to give or take away.”
Another said: “His demands for security in the UK have not been openly or widely discussed within the family because it was thought sorted two years ago.
“Quite frankly, with the Queen’s health concerns and Prince Andrew facing a sex-abuse trial, a battle between her grandson and the Government is the last thing she wants to get drawn into.”
The security row means the family could now be forced to miss the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew, 61, is understood to maintain his £2million-a-year security even after being stripped of his royal roles by the Queen due to the civil court sex abuse claim against him.
A spokesman for Harry said he first offered to pay for UK police protection at a royal summit on Megxit terms in January 2020.
He added: “The goal for Prince Harry has been simple — to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country.”
