Prince Harry has told the High Court that said his children cannot “feel at home” in the UK as it’s “not possible to keep them safe” The Duke of Sussex is in a legal challenge against the Home Office over his security while in the UK being scaled back.

In a witness statement, Harry said he and his wife, Meghan Markle, had been “forced” to leave the country in 2020 when they stepped back as senior royals.

At a hearing in London today (December 7), the Duke’s barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, said Harry did not accept that it was a “choice” for him to have stopped being a “full time working member of the royal family”.

The lawyer read out part of the Duke’s statement in which he said: “It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.

“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US.

“That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”

Prince Harry is challenging an order by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee from 2020 which scaled back his protection.

The royal family’s former head of security Dai Davies told GB News yesterday that the challenge could end up costing taxpayers £1 million.

He said: “The truth is, he actually gets protection every time (he’s in the UK), anything to do with royals – and he’s here as a Prince – yes, of course he gets it. What he wants is armed protection when he comes here and has done for a number of years.

“He brings his own protection teams who are not armed, but a number of them are former royalty protection officers.

“If there’s a threat, if there’s any kind of issue, he will be afforded the protection he wants. This is a storm in the cup and it’s going to cost you and I about £1m.”