Prince Harry Says He "Felt Forced" to Leave the U.K. in Court Statement

Prince Harry is currently fighting a legal battle against the U.K. Home Office over police protection for him and his family when they are in his home country.

In an excerpt of the Duke of Sussex' witness statement, read out by his lawyer Shaheed Fatima KC during a court hearing in London on Dec. 7, Harry revealed that he and Meghan Markle would not necessarily have chosen to leave the U.K. if they felt they had a choice.

"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 U.K. is my home," the statement read (via the Mirror).

"The U.K. 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 U.S.

"That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on U.K. 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."

In this case, Harry is challenging a 2020 court decision, which meant that the Sussexes would no longer receive the same police protection in the U.K. as they did when they were working royals.

The duke has also previously revealed that he twice offered to pay for his own police protection so as to avoid the cost falling to the taxpayer, but that he was denied.

While the Sussexes bring their private security detail with them on visits to the U.K., British regulations means that these officers can't be armed, which the U.S.-based royals have argued poses a threat to their safety.