Prince Harry (39) has lost a legal battle against the British government over security measures in the United Kingdom. This is reported, among others, by the British newspaper “The Guardian”.
The case was about whether the royal living in the United States is entitled to the same protections as the rest of the royal family when he travels to his old homeland. The younger son of King Charles III. (75) wanted to challenge a decision of the responsible committee. He decided in February 2020 to grant him a lower level of publicly funded security after he resigned from his royal duties and moved to the USA.
Harry’s lawyers said in court in December that the 39-year-old’s treatment was “unlawful and unfair.” They warned of the “impact on the reputation of the United Kingdom” if the Duke of Sussex were attacked.
They also accused the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures of making its decision based on an inadequate security analysis. As a result, Harry’s children with Duchess Meghan (42) did not receive sufficient protection. The Home Office, however, said security arrangements for Harry should be “tailor-made” and assessed “on a case-by-case basis”.
The High Court in London now ruled that the decision was neither illegal nor “irrational” and that there was no procedural injustice. The “tailor-made” procedure for the fifth in line to the British throne is “legally flawless”.
The judge also noted that in almost all cases the committee’s remit concerns UK residents. Since Harry and his family lived in the United States, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “did not easily fit into this framework.”
