Los Angeles, California - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still in dispute with the British government over state-funded police protection, and now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are facing a big setback.

As Page Six reported, their bid to get back the security measures funded by the Home Office failed due to fears of potential public criticism.

A source revealed: "The political side believe[s] there is too much political risk, while the police and security chiefs believe that he absolutely must have it due to the extant threat."

The couple lost police protection in 2020 when they resigned their royal duties and moved to the US with their children.

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Due to the lack of protection, Harry no longer wanted to bring his family to the UK – the fear that something could happen to them was too great.

A few years ago, he stated that he "does not feel safe" in the UK as his family had allegedly been exposed to "well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats".

Since then, the Duke has visited his homeland himself, but Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie (6) and Princess Lilibet (4), have not set foot in the country.

At the beginning of the year, there was still every indication that Harry would likely get his protection back.

In January, an official review found that the royal met the criteria for taxpayer-funded security measures.

In recent years, Harry and Meghan have spent several million dollars a year on private security measures.

They are also said to have offered to fund their own protection abroad so as not to claim taxpayers' money but were rejected.