Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has lost his bid to bring a second legal challenge against the Home Office regarding his security arrangements while in the UK.
Harry sought permission from the High Court to challenge a decision that prevented him from privately funding his protective security. His legal team requested the court to allow him to proceed with a claim against the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which operates under the department's jurisdiction. These decisions were made in December 2021 and February 2022.
The Home Office opposed Harry's claim, arguing that Ravec considered it inappropriate for wealthy individuals to purchase protective security, including armed officers. Ravec concluded that the public interest did not warrant publicly funded protection for such individuals.
The Metropolitan Police, an interested party in the case, supported Ravec's position, stating that it would be wrong for a policing body to expose officers to harm by accepting payment from a private individual.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain denied Harry permission to proceed with the second challenge, citing several grounds.
Harry's legal team argued that Ravec's view contradicted rules that explicitly allow charging for certain police services and that it would undermine public confidence in the Metropolitan Police.
However, Mr Justice Chamberlain stated, "Ravec did not say that it would be contrary to the public interest to allow wealthy individuals to pay for any police services." He clarified that Ravec's reasoning was limited to protective security services falling within its jurisdiction, which involve highly trained specialist officers putting themselves in harm's way to protect their principals. The judge found Ravec's reasoning rational and within its policy considerations.
During the earlier hearing, it was revealed that Harry's latest legal challenge was connected to a previous claim against the Home Office after being informed that he would no longer receive the same level of personal protective security during visits to the UK.
A separate full hearing on that challenge, focusing on Ravec's decision-making, was authorized last summer but is yet to take place.
This ruling coincides with an ongoing High Court trial where Harry is contesting against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for alleged unlawful information gathering. He is also awaiting judgments on whether similar cases against publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) and News Group Newspapers (NGN) will proceed. Additionally, a judgment is expected on Harry's libel claim against ANL, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, regarding an article about his case against the Home Office. Photo by Glyn Lowe, Wikimedia commons.