EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry at Center of Fears He Could be Targeted Just Like Blinded Salman Rushdie During UK Visit

Prince Harry is at the center of growing fears he could face security threats comparable to those experienced by author Salman Rushdie as he prepares for a return to Britain, with sources telling RadarOnline.com the duke's protection should be based on the level of risk he faces rather than his current royal status.

Harry, 41, is expected to travel from California to London and Birmingham next week for engagements promoting the 2027 Invictus Games and is hoping to be joined by his wife Meghan Markle, 44, and their two kids, Archie and Lilibet.

The visit would mark Markle's first time in Britain since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

King Charles, 77, has not seen his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet since the celebrations marking the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.

Harry's latest visit comes after he lost his legal challenge over taxpayer-funded armed police protection for himself and his family while in Britain.

A source close to the duke said: "The central issue has always been the level of threat Harry and his family face, not the position he now holds within the Royal Family. Security decisions should be driven by professional assessments of genuine risk, not by titles or constitutional roles. Nobody is suggesting he should receive special treatment, only that credible threats should be met with appropriate protection."

Supporters of Harry have pointed to the security arrangements provided to author Salman Rushdie, 79, who has lived under protection since Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death following the publication of The Satanic Verses.

Rushdie was left blind in one eye after being stabbed during an attack in New York in 2022.

Another source told us: "The Rushdie case demonstrates that when authorities believe there is an enduring threat to an individual, security is maintained because the danger remains real. Those close to Harry believe the same principle should apply in his circumstances, as he could be targeted just like Rushdie, totally out of the blue. They argue the risks attached to his public profile have not disappeared simply because he is no longer a working royal."

Buckingham Palace sources have previously indicated accommodation has been made available to Harry should he choose to stay at a royal residence during the visit, with security already in place.

However, no confirmation has been given that the Sussexes intend to accept the offer.

Harry's spokesperson said: "The issue has never been accommodation, it's whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit.

"The independent Risk Management Board that the (Royal and VIP Executive Committee) RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has not taken place.

"It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment."

They added, "The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely."

Rushdie is one of the world's most celebrated novelists, winning international acclaim for works including Midnight's Children, which received the Booker Prize in 1981, as well as the hugely controversial The Satanic Verses.

The publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988 sparked global outrage, leading Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to issue a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death.

Rushdie spent years living under police protection before gradually returning to public life, and in 2022 he was repeatedly stabbed while preparing to give a lecture in New York, suffering life-threatening injuries that left him permanently blind in one eye.