Prince Harry has had a major win in his ongoing legal battle to reinstate his state-funded personal security while visiting the United Kingdom.
After years of fighting, a review is now underway, with a UK government spokesperson telling People magazine that “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
This major breakthrough could pave the way for Harry to return to his home country alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, and children, Archie and Lilibet.
Back in May, Prince Harry said his “worst fears had been confirmed” following the initial loss of his court case.
The Duke of Sussex previously told the court the reason he was fighting for increased security was for the safety of his children.
Harry said that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure in this case – and that’s really sad.”
“This one has always mattered the most,” he told People.
FIGHTING FOR PROTECTION
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 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.
The Duke of Sussex lost his initial bid to appeal the High Court’s decision to downgrade the level of his security, which he appealed in February 2024.
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) had 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.”
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