The year just gone has hardly been a banner year for either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex, culminating in the humiliation of yet another publicist departing from their employment at its end. However, all of us hope that 2026 will be an improvement. Last weekend brought the potentially good news for Harry – although, perhaps, less so for the rest of us – that the litigious prince might yet have succeeded in his aim of being provided with British taxpayer-funded police protection whenever he returns to the UK. If this is indeed the case, we can expect to see a lot more of him. Let joy be unconfined.

Those readers with long memories and the patience to trawl through the accounts of many lawsuits may recall that Harry tried, and repeatedly failed, to be equipped with bodyguards (who, it was suggested, might be members of London’s Metropolitan Police) on his fleeting visits to the country of his birth. The case appeared dead in the water after sundry humiliations, but there was a volte-face late last year when it was announced that RAVEC, the royal and VIP committee responsible for making decisions on the protection of individuals, would reassess the Duke’s case. This came after Harry wrote to Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in September asking for a reappraisal of the case.

Prince Harry may be one of the few British people who feels a sense of gratitude to this government

Mahmood may or may be more pro-Harry than her predecessors, but it has now been reported that the Duke’s security will once again be granted to him. Well-briefed sources informed the Mail on Sunday that “it’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.” What this means is that rather than the current status quo of a case-by-case assessment of his needs, the Duke will be entitled to guaranteed armed police protection whenever he deigns to visit Britain.

The reported reason for this change is that, when Harry was in the country on his generally well-received visit last September, there was an incident whereby a woman came too close to him for comfort and had to be forcibly removed by members of his security team. Brits live in a country where the King can be heckled at public events by disaffected republicans, but even so, the idea that his son might be in any danger is not one that the government or Ravec wish to entertain. It therefore looks as if he will be granted his desires. Nevertheless, it must be stressed that this is not yet official and that the final decision will not be made for a considerable time yet.

Should the committee decide in Harry’s favor, he may wish to recant the remarks he made to the BBC last May about his legal failures being “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up.” Instead, Prince Harry may be one of the few British people who feels a sense of gratitude to this government.

All the same, it remains uncertain as to whether Harry would become a more frequent visitor to this country if the protection is granted, or indeed whether he would feel comfortable bringing his family on his visits. The unkind might suggest that, given his wife Meghan’s residual unpopularity, her presence would require an entire unit of the Met to keep her safe from harsh words and cold stares.

However, there remains one major obstacle, and it may yet be insuperable. Sources caution that “the only thing that could scupper his approval now would be an intervention from the Palace.” King Charles is known to want this year to be a reset for the royal family after a couple of disastrous years that have included everything from the cancer diagnoses of two of its senior members to the ongoing humiliations occasioned by the behavior of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He must weigh up very carefully whether the return of his younger son to Britain – with or without his family – is likely to enhance the Firm’s popularity or cause greater difficulty yet. Based on the past six years, one can only feel sympathy for the beleaguered King, who may find that, as his treatment for cancer eases this year, another familiar ache takes its place instead.