Prince Harry has lost his initial bid to appeal the High Court’s decision to downgrade the level of his personal security while visiting the United Kingdom.
The Duke of Sussex previously told the court the reason he is fighting for personal security is for the safety of his children, Archie and Lilibet.
When Prince Harry was still a senior working member of the British royal family, he received full publicly-funded security protection provided by the government.
However, since voluntarily giving up his royal roles with wife Meghan Markle in 2020, the court declared he would receive a lesser degree of public-funded security when in the UK.
Additionally, once he moved to the United States Harry lost the right to automatic police protection. After the decision to downgrade his security, the Duke of Sussex challenged the government.
In late February 2024, the High Court rejected Prince Harry’s case, but the Duke of Sussex’s lawyers said he would appeal the ruling. It has now been confirmed that Harry’s initial bid has been rejected.
At a hearing in December 2023, the Duke of Sussex’s lawyers labelled the decision to take away his high-level security as “unlawful” and “unfair”.
Prince Harry’s lawyers also read out an excerpt from a witness statement where Harry explained why he was fighting for high-level security.
“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil,” the statement read.
“I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
However, the government’s legal team said the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) have not decided Harry should not receive protection, but rather that he should not have it on the same basis.
A legal spokesperson for Prince Harry originally confirmed the Duke would be appealing the court’s decision, saying: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of RAVEC’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with RAVEC’s own written policy.”
Prince Harry was last in England in February 2024, when he visited his father King Charles III following his cancer diagnosis. The Duke only stayed in the UK for 24 hours.
It’s reported that Harry will next visit the UK in May 2024 for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, where sources claim Harry’s wife Meghan and their two children may also be making the trip to England.
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