Prince Harry has lost his bid to launch a legal challenge against the British government after it refused to allow him to pay for police security when visiting the UK.
A judge in London ruled against the prince on Tuesday, saying he would not give Harry permission to seek a judicial review of the decision to withdraw him from police protection. That would have been the second challenge Duke of Sussex was brought in relation to his security arrangements and claimed that the British Government exceeded its authority in denying him the right to hire police.
In written submissions to the High Court, the UK’s Home Office argued that the Protection of Royalty and Public Persons Executive Committee (RAVEC) “did not consider it appropriate to support an outcome where Wealthy individuals could “buy” Protective Security from specialized police officers (potentially including armed officers), in circumstances where RAVEC has determined that the public interest does not warrant the individual receiving such security on a publicly funded basis.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves the Royal Courts of Justice on March 28, 2023 in London, England.
Getty Images
The British government stopped providing security after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, left their royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
Harry has said he does not feel safe visiting the UK with his young children, citing aggressive press photographers.
In 2021, Harry’s lawyer told NBC News in a statement that Harry wanted to bring his children to Britain so they can “know his homeland,” but that too risky without proper protection.
The statement also said the prince’s safety was “compromised due to the absence of police protection” during a visit to Britain to uncover a statue in honor of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Britain’s Prince William, left, and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, Thursday, July 1, 2021.
Dominic Lipinski / Pool Photo via AP
This latest case was discussed last week on the same day Harry and Meghan sought protection from the paparazzi at a New York police station after a spokesperson said they had been involved in a “near a disastrous car chase” with photographers after a gala event.
No one was injured and no citations were issued, but police say photographers made it challenging for the couple to get where they were going.
Harry is separately challenging the decision to deny him government-paid security. That trial is the only one of five active legal cases he has in London courts that are not against British tabloid publishers over allegations of libel or phone hacking.
He will give evidence next month in an ongoing trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror over allegations it used illegal means to gather material for dozens of articles about the Duke, dating back as far as the 1990s.
— With files from the Associated Press
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