Prince Harry loses bid for taxpayer-funded security in UK as his ‘grievance’ fails to support legal claim

LONDON, ENGLAND: Prince Harry has lost his latest appeal against the UK government over security arrangements during visits to his home country.

The decision means his taxpayer-funded protection will not be reinstated, and he may now be required to pay legal costs exceeding $1.9 million (£1.5 million), according to The Sun.

This ruling upholds the government’s plan to provide the Duke of Sussex and his family with a less costly, tailored form of security rather than the automatic police protection given to working royals.

Judge acknowledges Prince Harry’s emotional appeal but says it lacks legal merit

Prince Harry had been trying to reverse a decision that reduced his security after he stepped down as a working royal and relocated to the US with Meghan Markle.

During the ruling, Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos stated that although Prince Harry’s legal team made "powerful and moving" arguments, the duke's feelings of being unfairly treated did not establish a legal case.

Vos said he "could not say that the duke’s sense of grievance translated into a legal argument for the challenge to” the decision (RAVEC).

“The conclusion, in my judgment, with which my colleagues Lord Justice Bean and Lord Justice Edith agreed, was that the Duke of Sussex’s appeal would be dismissed,” Vos said, according to The Guardian. 

Vos noted that Harry felt “badly treated by the system” but ruled that RAVEC’s decision—the Royal and VIP Executive Committee—was sound.

“The duke was in effect stepping in and out of the cohort of protection provided by Ravec. Outside the UK, he was outside the cohort, but when in the UK, his security would be considered as appropriate,” added Vos.

He called the committee’s reasoning “sensible” and “understandable and perhaps predictable.”

Security removal was ‘difficult to swallow,’ Prince Harry tells court

Prince Harry claimed he felt unsafe returning to the UK with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

During his April court appearance, he said, “It is too dangerous.” He further stated, “My worst fears have been confirmed,” referring to some secret evidence presented in court.

The duke also said the decision to remove his security was “difficult to swallow” and called it a deliberate move.

“People would be shocked by what’s being held back,” he said. Harry claimed he believed the move was made “as some form of punishment.”

Protection still granted, but not by default

While Prince Harry still receives police protection in the UK, it is no longer automatic. He must give advanced notice for visits, which he argued could leave his family exposed to threats, as per BBC.

The decision means Prince Harry will continue to be excluded from the automatic, high-level security typically granted to senior members of the royal family.

Harry’s challenge focused on how Sir Richard Mottram, then chair of RAVEC, decided to withdraw his protection in 2020.

A previous court found that Sir Richard had the right not to launch a full review of the prince’s security despite internal policy suggesting one should have occurred.

On Friday, Judge Vos accepted that the policy had not been followed but said the deviation was reasonable given the “unrivalled” experience of RAVEC members.

“It was impossible to say that this reasoning was illogical or inappropriate,” Vos said.

This marks Prince Harry’s second failed legal appeal regarding his security and may be his final opportunity to challenge the ruling unless he brings the matter before the Supreme Court.