Prince Harry married Meghan Markle 'as quickly as possible' so she would get police protection, according to a new book

• Prince Harry married Meghan Markle quickly so she would get security, according to a new book.
• In "The Palace Papers," Tina Brown writes that Harry wanted Markle to get police protection.

Prince Harry's motive for marrying Meghan Markle quickly was to ensure she would get police protection, according to Tina Brown's new book, "The Palace Papers."

In the book, released on Tuesday, Brown writes that Prince William had concerns over how fast the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship was moving when they were first dating.

Brown said that she spoke to more than 120 people for the book, many of whom were close to senior royals. One anonymous source close to William told Brown that the prince thought Markle should have had more time to build a life in the UK and make friends before getting married to his brother. But Harry responded by saying that he wanted Markle to have police protection that she would be entitled to when they married, according to the source.

"To his brother's concerns, Harry's riposte can be summarized as, I am told, 'Well, actually the best way I can protect her is to marry her as quickly as possible, because as soon as I marry her she will then get police protection,'" Brown wrote.

"Plus, she was a month shy of thirty-five. Her biological clock was ticking," Brown added.

Harry and Markle met through a mutual friend in London in July 2016, and in November 2017 they announced their engagement. They tied the knot at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.

Markle became a senior working member of the royal family upon the marriage, meaning she was entitled to publicly-funded police protection. When the couple resigned from royal duties in April 2020, they became financially independent and were therefore no longer entitled to publicly-funded protection.

The couple are thought to be using privately-funded security at their home in Santa Barbara, California.

Speaking on the "Today" show earlier in April, Harry said security issues could prevent him from attending the Queen's Platinum Jubilee service in June.

In September, Harry appealed for a judicial review of a government decision that barred him from personally paying for police protection while in the UK, Insider reported in January.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed while in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home," read a statement issued by the prince's spokesperson at the time.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Kensington Palace declined to comment.