Prince Harry has lost his bid in court to restore full police protection on visits to the UK, with the court dismissing his appeal on security grounds. The judge said that although the Duke of Sussex might harbor a “strong sense of grievance,” that emotional stance was not equivalent to an acceptable legal case under the conditions.
The ruling came after Harry had petitioned a 2020 court ruling that cut back his security funded by taxpayers after he withdrew from royal work. He argued that the cutting of his protection made him and his family targets, particularly while traveling to the UK. His lawyers had noted threats to his security and disparity in the treatment of assigning security to other public figures.
Yet the judge held that the security arrangements were lawful, reasonable, and applied in a fair manner. The court further stated that Prince Harry’s grounds were devoid of the legal merit required to overturn the current ruling, which had been passed by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC).
The ruling is considered a huge setback to Prince Harry’s prolonged legal battles in the UK. Although he continues to have private security, the denial restricts him from accessing Metropolitan Police services for UK visits—a situation he previously indicated discouraged him from taking his kids to Britain.
