Prince Harry has lost a widely publicized appeal in his ongoing fight over security arrangements in the UK.
When he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020, their publicly funded security was reduced.
Harry later challenged that decision and appeared in court last month to defend his position.
His lawyer, Shaheed Fatima KC, argued that Harry’s “safety, security and life are at stake,” and stressed that the “human dimension” of the situation must not be overlooked.
But in today’s ruling, the appeal was rejected by Sir Geoffrey Vos, Lord Justice Bean, and Lord Justice Edis.
Vos acknowledged that Harry had made some “powerful” points and that it was clear he hadn’t been treated well by the system. However, he said there was no legal ground to overturn the decision to reduce his security protection.
“The duke was in effect stepping in and out of the cohort of protection provided by Ravec [Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures],” Vos said.
“Outside the UK, he was outside the cohort, but when in the UK, his security would be considered as appropriate.”
He added: “It was impossible to say that this reasoning was illogical or inappropriate, indeed it seemed sensible.”
Vos described Ravec’s decision as “understandable and perhaps predictable,” and continued: “From the Duke of Sussex’s point of view, I said that something may indeed have gone wrong, in that an unintended consequence of his decision to step back from royal duties and spend the majority of his time abroad has been that he has been provided with a more bespoke, and generally lesser, level of protection than when he was in the UK.
“That did not in itself give rise to a legal complaint.”
According to a report by The Telegraph last month, Harry said his “worst fears” were “confirmed” after secret evidence was presented during the appeal — most of it behind closed doors because it was considered “confidential evidence.”
After the hearing, Harry said: “People would be shocked by what’s being held back.”
He also mentioned that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure in this case and that’s really sad.”
The report also claimed that Harry believes King Charles could have stepped in to help restore his security. However, Buckingham Palace has denied this.
A palace source told The Guardian: “These are matters of security and government policy and, as usual, it would be inappropriate to comment or intervene on either.”