The Detail From Prince Harry’s RAVEC Statement That No One is Talking About

Plus, a palace ousting straight out of "monarchies in the middle ages"

Last Friday Prince Harry lost his appeal against the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) over the process that culminated in a total loss of his royal security team in early 2020. This was despite the Sandringham Summit, which reportedly included security during a 12-month transition period for the Sussexes.

Slaying dragons and taking losses on the chin is easier to stomach when it’s against media companies. It’s much harder when the case involves the safety of your family, which has been repeatedly jeopardized by your Family™.

Soon after the decision was announced The Duke of Sussex spoke with the BBC from California and released a statement on the couple’s website. (I’ll break down the BBC interview and King Charles’s retort in Part 2.)

Several people online noted this particular passage from Harry’s statement:

While people understandably jumped on how early security was in question for the Sussexes despite their popularity—or drummed up ‘notoriety’ from unrelenting negative press and no support from the Palace—I was focused on something else.

Someone else.

Lord Christopher Geidt.

At least twice during his BBC interview, Harry said that he just wanted his father to stay out of the way and let the experts make the decisions.

King Charles is certainly the no stranger to the occasional interference (Spider Memos anyone?).Which brings me to Lord Geidt, the second to last Private Secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Geidt was pushed out by an effort led by then Prince Charles, Sir Clive Alderton, his Private Secretary, and Prince Andrew, in favor of Sir Edward Young. In July of 2017.

In order to understand what happened between the Sussexes and the British Monarchy, you have to understand the palace courtiers or “the men in grey” as Princess Diana called them. Harry spoke about some of the key players in Spare, particularly Sir Edward Young or “The Bee”.

This isn’t just a story of one man’s fight for his family’s security. It’s another piece to the larger story of the British Monarchy that they do not want you to see. The jealousy, competition, warring households and palace aides fighting for their principal’s interest, whether or not it’s in the best interest of The Crown.

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