By stepping away from royal duties in 2020, Prince Harry gave up much in exchange for personal freedom: the comfort of Frogmore Cottage, financial security and the reassurance of the Metropolitan Police’s Royal Protection and Specialist Command.
But reports suggest he may have given up something else as well when he and Meghan Markle fled to sunny Montecito: a close circle of friends.
Reports suggest the Duke of Sussex is feeling increasingly lonely in California and counts a former royal protection officer, who he is now believed to be paying thousands of pounds a day for his security, as his “best friend”.
David Langdown served as a personal protection officer at the Met for 16 years and was assigned to Harry for about a decade, accompanying him on his infamous trip to Las Vegas, where he partied in a pool surrounded by bikini-clad women.
But while the duke’s wild side has toned down with age, “Langers,” as he is known, has been a constant presence at his and Meghan’s side.
And after retiring from the public sector he has continued working for the Duke, becoming one of his closest confidants.
David Langdown has been by Harry’s side for more than a decade – he is seen here accompanying the Prince out of a Soho nightclub after a night out in 2011.
He became Meghan’s protection officer while she and Harry were courting and after they married; he is seen here at the duchess’s home in New York in 2019.
And he was in the front seat of a Range Rover that drove Harry and Meghan away from Frogmore Cottage in 2022.
Langdown accompanied Harry on his infamous 2012 trip to Las Vegas, where he enjoyed the company of bikini-clad women and a game of strip pool.
Harry is said to be lonely on the other side of the Atlantic, and his 40th birthday party is expected to include Meghan’s Hollywood pals on the guest list.
It is not known whether Langdown will be among those in attendance or whether she will accompany the Duke on the holiday he is reportedly taking with friends to mark the end of his fourth decade on the planet.
But the former Met police officer, who is believed to have started out as a patrol officer in Stoke Newington, north London, is believed to be a regular visitor to Los Angeles in his role as US Director of Operations at private security firm Broadstone Risks.
He has been photographed alongside Harry at many key moments in his life, both in public service and as a mercenary.
‘Langers’ was by Harry’s side as he left a Soho nightclub in 2011 and also accompanied the Duke on the infamous trip to Las Vegas where Harry was photographed completely naked after playing snooker.
Langdown was also seen with Meghan after she and Harry courted, accompanying the couple on their first royal trip to Northern Ireland in March 2018 before they married two months later.
He stood behind Meghan when she stepped out in New York for a baby shower a year later, visibly pregnant with little Archie.
Langdown is believed to have retired from the Met in the summer of 2022, months after receiving the Royal Victorian Medal from Queen Elizabeth II for services to the royal family.
Months later, she was in the front seat of a Range Rover ferrying Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage after starting her job with Broadstone, a company set up by former Met officer Peter Miles.
He is said to have protected celebrities such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as well as pop star Ariana Grande.
The firm describes Mr Langdown as having a career “distinguished by deep commitment and unparalleled experience” during which he protected Queen Elizabeth II, the then Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, now the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“David will bring his extensive experience and expertise to Broadstone Risks in 2022 and will now make a significant contribution to the firm’s international operations,” the firm’s website reads.
‘Their focus on real estate and government level protective services enriches Broadstone Risks with a depth of experience rarely found in this field.’
He is an ever-present force at the Sussexes’ engagements, seen here standing behind Meghan in 2022 at an Invictus Games launch event in Dusseldorf, Germany.
David Langdown pictured with Prince Harry in London in March 2023. He is believed to be working primarily in California.
‘Langers’, as he is known to his friends, became a police officer in the early 1990s and retired in 2022 (pictured in Nigeria as part of the Sussexes’ entourage in May).
Where the Sussexes go, the Langers follow – here they are seen looking over their shoulders as they visited Colombia in August
A senior security source told MailOnline in 2022: ‘Dave is a lovely guy and a very experienced royal protection officer who worked for Harry for many years.
‘It’s clear that Harry trusts him, so much so that he accompanied Meghan to her baby shower in New York. He was also with Harry in Las Vegas.’
And ever since, she has been an ever-present force behind Harry and Meghan – always present, but never the focus of attention.
He was alongside Meghan at a launch event for the 2022 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, and was with the duke in London in March last year.
More recently, Mr Langdown was seen keeping a watchful eye on the Sussexes as they undertook a quasi-royal tour of Nigeria in May, sternly monitoring the visit from behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses.
And when the couple landed in Colombia for another tour (one that was criticised for costing South American taxpayers £45,000), the carer was not far behind.
Sources say Harry and Mr Langdown are “a close couple” and the security guard is moving his family to California.
A source said The sunThe guard is an Englishman who moved to Montecito with his family. He and Harry are very close, very close. They are like thieves.
But their presence is not cheap.
A security source said The mirror In 2022, while Langdown “is the best of the best” and his relationship with Harry goes back “donkey years”, the bill for his services is “certainly… thousands of pounds a day”.
Harry is said to spend his days taking his children to school and going on bike rides with his security staff, with growing resentment at the Sussexes’ public image in contrast to that of his brother and sister-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Last month, a long-time friend told The Times that Harry is now a “very angry boy”, adding: “Anyone who knows him feels he would rather be at the top of the family here with everyone loving him, like they do William and Kate.”
The Sussexes and Broadstone have been contacted for comment.