LONDON – Prince Harry has called for a review of the British government’s decision not to allow him to personally pay for police protection while in Britain.

The Duke of Sussex’s legal representative said on Saturday that Harry wanted to take his children Archie and Lilibet to visit his home country, but that it would be too risky without police protection.

The representative said Harry wanted to pay for police protection himself. His personal security team in the US did not have adequate jurisdiction overseas or access to British intelligence, they said.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are personally funding a private security team for their families, but that security cannot replicate the police protection required while in the UK,” a statement said.

“In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family cannot return home.”

A judicial review lawsuit was filed in September to challenge the UK government’s decision-making behind security procedures.

Harry and his wife Meghan lost publicly funded police protection in the UK when they stepped down as royalty and moved to North America in 2020. The couple said their decision was due to what they described as unbearable harassment and racist attitudes from the British media.

Her name is Lilibet Diana.

The couple first went to Canada before settling in the United States. They claimed they personally financed security for their move to the US after then-President Donald Trump said his government would not pay for their protection.

The statement said Harry’s safety was “compromised in the absence of police protection” during a brief visit to the UK in July, when his car was followed by photographers as he left a charity event.

Harry and Meghan’s 7-month-old daughter, Lilibet, has yet to meet her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and other members of the royal family.

The statement said Harry first offered to personally pay for British police protection for himself and his family in January 2020, during talks with the queen about the Sussexes’ future. The offer was “rejected,” the statement said.

“Prince Harry’s goal is simple: to ensure the safety of himself and his family while he is in the UK so that his children can learn about their home country,” he said. “England will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country where he wants his wife and children to be safe.”

The British government said its security system was “strict and proportionate” and declined to comment on details. He also said it was inappropriate to comment on any legal process.