Prince Harry has lost his fight for security in the UK.
On Wednesday, High Court judge Peter Lane officially sided with the UK government — and specifically the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) — by agreeing to strip the Duke of Sussex of his right to police protection while in the country. In court docs obtained by People, the official said:
“The court has found that there has not been any unlawfulness in reaching the decision of 28 February 2020. The decision was not irrational. The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.”
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The ruling added:
“The court has also found that there has been no unlawfulness on the part of RAVEC in respect of its arrangements for certain of the claimant’s visits to Great Britain.”
As we’ve been following, the Spare author lost his automatic right to UK police protection in February 2020, shortly after stepping back from royal duties. He’s been arguing with the government ever since, claiming in December that he was “forced” to leave his royal role due to “danger” to his family. All he wants, he says, is to be able to bring his wife Meghan Markle and their kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet back to his home country with the reassurance that they will be properly looked after. He’s even offered to cover the cost of the security himself — a suggestion that was already denied.
But he’s not giving up the fight despite the judge’s latest ruling. In a statement to People, a legal spokesperson shared that the Invictus Games founder is going to appeal the decision, stating:
“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.”
Discussing the case, they went on:
“In February 2020, RAVEC failed to apply its written policy to The Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis. The Duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him, is no substitute for that risk analysis. […] The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing.”
Oof. So, yeah, he’s not giving up the fight…
But, FWIW, it’s not like Harry won’t get any protection while in the UK — it’s just going to be on a case-by-case basis. In December, the UK government’s Home Office said he would have “bespoke arrangements, specifically tailored to him” rather than automatic security offered to other working royals, the BBC noted. So, it’s not nothing, to be fair. But the 39-year-old just wants a lot more safety for his family!
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