Why King Charles III Got Apology From Top Politician
Why King Charles III Got Apology From Top Politician
Patel, the most senior Home Office minister until 2022, emailed the king's most senior aide, private secretary Clive Alderton, to suggest that reviewing the decision to strip Andrew of his police team "could be something to consider."
The Metropolitan Police bodyguards were removed in the wake of the scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, which saw him resign from public duties.
King Charles III visits the Sandringham Flower Show, on July 26, 2023. Former U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel apologized after the leak of an email discussing a potential review into the removal of Prince Andrew's police security team.
And in 2022, the prince settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre in which he was accused of raping her while she was an Epstein sex trafficking victim. He denied the allegation but paid her an undisclosed sum.
After details of the email were leaked to U.K. tabloid The Sun, Patel told the newspaper: "It is disappointing that this correspondence has been leaked into the public domain and I apologize to His Majesty for the embarrassment and difficulties the publishing of this correspondence has caused."
Any move to reinstate Andrew's police protection would be controversial in light of the Home Office decision to strip Prince Harry of his own team.
The Duke of Sussex twice sued Patel's former department in an effort to get them reinstated, losing one case and getting permission to take the other to a full hearing.
Harry described his frustration at losing his Metropolitan Police detail in his book, Spare: "Meg asked me one night: 'You don't think they'd ever pull our security, do you?' 'Never. Not in this climate of hate. And not after what happened to my mother.'
"Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, and no one had so much as suggested that he lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren't on the list."
However, in February 2020, his police security team told him they were being removed: "So here we are, I said. The ultimate nightmare. The worst of all worst-case scenarios.
"Any bad actor in the world would now be able to find us, and it would just be me with a pistol to stop them. 'Oh wait. No pistol. I'm in Canada.'
"I rang Pa. He wouldn't take my calls. Just then I got a text from Willy. 'Can you speak?'
"Great. I was sure my older brother, after our recent walk in the Sandringham gardens, would be sympathetic. That he'd step up. He said it was a government decision. Nothing to be done."
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