Harry and Meghan will receive ‘VVIP” status in the Netherlands when they visit the Invictus Games. This gives them the best local protection and has been through ‘hostile environments’ training before their trip.
At the event which will start on Saturday, Meghan and Harry will be accompanied at all times by their personal security team. This is Meghan’s first European trip since leaving as senior working royalty more than two decades ago.
They will be protected by the in-country authorities after they have been granted Very Very Important Persons status. VVIPs are the Sussexes who will be able to connect directly with all emergency services and law enforcement.
According to the Daily Mirror, it is understood a ‘detailed extraction process’ has been drawn up in the event of a terror attack, while the couple are also said to have undergone a ‘hostile environment’ course.
It comes after it emerged Harry and Meghan will not get an audience with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima during their stay, nor be offered a room in the royal palace in The Hague. The Dutch royal family has traditionally hosted stays for foreign royalty, but no such offer was extended to the Sussexes.
Prince Harry and Meghan markle were at Global Citizen Live New York City on September 25, last year
Prince Harry, Meghan and the Queen watch as Meghan plays wheelchair tennis at Invictus Games 2017, Toronto, Canada.
Yesterday, Team UK participants joined their family and friends at a photocall to Invictus games Team UK held at Brunel University
King Willem-Alexander (fourth right) and Princess Margriet (four left) greet Dutch paralympic athletes after Beijing last month
They have been informed that they are safe and secure. It is also reported that the Dutch Royal and Diplomatic Security Service will take care of their security.
A couple spokesperson confirmed Meghan’s presence at Invictus games for the first days on Monday.
Harry missed the Duke-of-Edinburg’s London Memorial Service last month, so Harry is making the trip to Holland.
Harry brought a claim against Home Office because he was told that he would not be provided the same personal protection security for visiting US citizens, and despite his offer to pay it.
According to the legal representative, the duke would like to take his children with him to see them, however, he and his family cannot return to their home because it is dangerous.
Harry was confirmed by a spokesperson earlier this month that he will miss the memorial service for his grandfather. However, he said that he wanted to make a visit to the Queen in the near future.
Former head of Royal Protection at Scotland Yard Dai Davies said that Harry’s inability to travel to the UK because of safety concerns was’sheer unadulterated absurdity’ and that the duke is not an expert on security.
The future plans of Harry to visit Britain and his grandmother, while he’s on the Atlantic side for Invictus Games are not yet known.
According to Mr Davies, Harry’s safety will be ensured by his team. He may also be granted VIP status by the Dutch authorities while he is in The Hague.
Harry is expected stay in Netherland throughout the Invictus Game, while Meghan will only be able to attend the beginning days. They will be reunited with their children in the US.
As the Invictus Games will be hosted by Willem-Alexander, the King of The Netherlands and Princess Margriet (honorary chair) of the Recommendation Committee, the Sussexes should have full protection from the Dutch police.
Meghan will be joining her husband at The Hague for the next four days, despite security specialists warning that the event “ticks boxes” for terrorists due to its military connections and the presence of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
This will be the couple’s first trip to Europe since leaving the Royal Family. It comes just weeks after Prince Philip and the Duke of Sussex opted not to attend the memorial service for him after he said that he doesn’t feel secure in Britain. However, former royal protection officers said they would have received the same protection at Westminster Abbey as any other royal.
Norman Baker was a former MP and is critical of royal spending. The Dutch have the courage of their Dutch counterparts, while British are more timid.
Moniek Bloks is a Dutch royal biographer, Assistant Editor at Royal Central and stated to MailOnline she thinks Harry or his crew will ask King Willem, her distant cousin, for security. She stated that members of the Dutch royal families will attend both the closing ceremony and the opening ceremony. They might also be able “hitch a ride” with them.
The Duke of Sussex, centre (left) during the Invictus Games The Hague 2020 launch in London on October 29th 2019, 2019.
Team UK was able to hear the Duke of Sussex speak at last week’s training camp held at Brunel University, Uxbridge.
In a dispute over security, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided not to go along with Prince Philip for the memorial service. Pictured with Prince Andrew, the Queen leaves Westminster Abbey’s memorial service last month.
From left to right, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince of Wales, and the Duchess Of Cornwall. Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. The Duke of York. Second row from left: Prince George, Prince Charlotte, and the Duke of Cambridge during the service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, London, March 29, 2018.
Harry and Meghan, however, will not be able to get the same Invictus security as Harry. She said they were visiting Invictus in a private capacity. This was what Harry was apparently offered in the UK. However, he refused it for his family because it was too dangerous for them.
One key distinction between Invictus Games & the London service of Remembrance is that they will have a Netflix crew in The Hague as part of their rumoured $100million contract. However, the team wouldn’t be allowed to accompany them at Westminster Abbey.
Simon Morgan is a former royal protector officer and told MailOnline today that he can’t fathom how Sussexes might feel safer in Holland.
Morgan now owns the security company Trojan Consultancy and said that the Sussexes will be attending the international event alongside veterans who were wounded fighting against the Taliban. Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a soldier and is also the Grandson of Queen Elizabeth.
“The security threat to the Netherlands will be considered high by them because an extremist Invictus is a potential target of a major attack.” This is why Harry and Meghan wouldn’t consider it less risky than attending Prince Philip’s funeral service.
Harry founded the sporting games for veterans who are injured and they will be held in The Hague. In 2017, the couple was in Toronto for their first appearance.
Following the April death of his grandfather, the Duke returned to Windsor Castle for the service. His family believed that he would have liked to visit the UK as a thanksgiving guest.
However, sources suggest that his legal position might have been undermined if the American travelled with him.
After being informed that he wouldn’t get the same level of security while visiting the UK, Harry filed a High Court case against the Home Office. He offered to pay the cost but was told no.
Invictus takes place from April 16 through 22. This means that the prince can visit Queen Elizabeth for her 96th Birthday on the 21st.
Ken Wharfe is a former Metropolitan Police Inspector and has raised questions about why Philip feels more secure attending games than Philip’s remembrance ceremony. According to him, it’s more dangerous to visit Holland to help a charity that has a military connection than to fly to London to attend the games.
Daniel O’Connor (31-year-old Invictus competitor) said that Meghan would be received with open arms. She’s doing a fantastic job. He stated that he’d love to see her at Games.