Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Cotswolds Video May Be a 'Twisted Stunt' in Taxpayer-Funded Security Dispute, Royal Expert Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared an intimate look at their family's new life in the Cotswolds, England, on Instagram on September 13.

While the video featured several geographical details that could have possibly revealed their location, royal expert Tom Sykes believes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the wrong move posting the clip.

"It seems an almost unbelievably stupid thing to do," Sykes said on The Daily Beast's "The Royalist" podcast.

"I think it's a bit ridiculous to say, oh, they just didn't realize that anyone was gonna, like, geolocate this lake and this bridge and this farm track," he said, adding the post is a probable "twisted stunt" in the Sussexes' quest for scoring taxpayer-funded security.

“It does seem like they are creating security risks deliberately to bolster the argument that they want armed security," he continued.

After Meghan, 45, and Harry, 42, left the royal family in January 2020 and moved to the West Coast, they lost their government-funded security protection.

Ever since their departure, the Invictus Games founder has been campaigning for his family's security to be restored.

After the Sussexes made their grand return to the U.K. last month, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) agreed to review their security case and conduct an official risk assessment.

Daily Mail editor and royal commentator Alison Boshoff also gave her two cents on the clip in the podcast, noting: "It's a cynical take, but I mean, you know... I did think... 'Can [Harry] be that stupid?'"

"And... he will have been advised, you know, as a royal on the front line, never to disclose this information. Someone would have said to him, never disclose that information. Never, because it makes you a target," she went on.

"Either he's really thick and has forgotten getting that advice, or he remembers getting that advice perfectly well, and it has been, you know, a part of that amazing hand of cards that he's playing," Boshoff said.

According to Sykes, Harry has "consistent confidence" that he's going to earn back police security.

"The remarkable persistence of the RAVEC committee saying, 'Yeah, sorry guys, A, you're not eligible; B, we've got nine prime ministers to worry about; and C, we've got no money and no policemen anyway,'" the royal journalist went on.

Meghan and Harry's security concerns also took a hit when they pulled their kids, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, from their U.K. school after just two days earlier this month.

The Sussexes removed the youngsters from class as they were reportedly worried the heavy traffic in the area would make safety a bigger problem.