Known stalker came within feet of Prince Harry TWICE during duke's London visit

A woman who is understood to be a known stalker managed to get within feet of Prince Harry twice during his latest UK visit. It's reported the female stalker, who may be suffering from mental health issues, had gained access to a "secure zone" at a hotel in central London when the Duke of Sussex was attending the WellChild Awards on September 9.

According to the Telegraph, the same woman was sighted near the Centre for Blast Injuries in west London two days later where the Duke had been visiting. The newspaper reports the unnamed woman had also followed the royal to Nigeria. It's reported during this latest incident a member of Prince Harry's private staff recognised the individual and "body-blocked" her to ensure she did not get close to the Prince. Security sources said it was not known at the time if she was carrying a weapon.

It's understood the woman is on a list of individuals who are fixated with Prince Harry. The list has been drawn up by a private intelligence company who are part of the Duke's protection team.

The Telegraph reports the woman on the list has a history of trailing both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and she was spotted during the couple's visit to Abuja in Nigeria last year.

The Daily Express have approached the Metropolitan Police for comment concerning the incidents in London in September. Scotland Yard previously said they do not discuss security arrangements for the royal.

Speaking about Prince Harry's concerns about safety for himself, his wife Meghan and their children, a source said he felt "enormous guilt" that his profile may put others at risk. They said: "It should not be left to two office staff to act as extra eyes and ears or provide a physical barrier between a clearly ill, paranoid schizophrenic and the fifth-in-line to the throne.

"That should not happen. It is only going to take one motivated, lone individual for this to go south very quickly."

Prince Harry, who stepped back from being a working royal in January 2020, has no automatic right to state-backed police protection for his visits to the UK. However, each visit is still assessed by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).

Earlier this year the Duke lost a High Court case against the Home Office to reinstate his state-funded protection. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision.

During his September visit to the UK Prince Harry laid a wreath and flowers in memory of his grandmother, the late Queen, on the third anniversary of her death. The Duke travelled to the late Queen's tomb in the King George VI Memorial Chapel within Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said.

King Charles had a private tea with his son at Clarence House in their first face-to-face encounter for 19 months.

Security scares are nothing new to the Royal Family. The world was shocked when it was revealed that Michael Fagan, an unemployed father, managed to break into Buckingham Palace on July 9, 1982, and spend 10 minutes talking to the Queen in her bedroom. The Queen managed to alert a footman calmly to the intruder in her private quarters, and Mr Fagan was then whisked away by police.

In June this year, man was arrested by police after gaining access to the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Sun reported the man in his 30s had clambered over a wall to get into the royal estate before quickly being detained.