Prince Harry Loses Legal Battle Over Police Protection for His Family & Plans to Appeal Court’s Decision
Harry is ‘not seeking preferential treatment’ when it comes to securing his family the right to have security in the U.K., according to a new statement.
Prince Harry may have lost his legal battle, but he isn’t giving up on the war to secure his family the right to have police protection when visiting his native, the U.K. High Court judge Peter Lane decided that Harry’s current security status set by the government as well as the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) will be upheld.
“The court has found that there has not been any unlawfulness in reaching the decision of 28 February 2020,” the judge ruled, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, February 28. “The decision was not irrational. The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness. 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.”
In response, Harry, 39, plans to appeal the court’s decision, and a spokesperson provided a statement to the outlet defending his legal battle.
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Prince Harry said he would mount an appeal after he lost a legal challenge against the British government's decision to take away his police protection when he is in Britain https://t.co/IyexSGla9w pic.twitter.com/ycMC09PwjT
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 28, 2024
“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,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
In 2020, Harry’s automatic right to have security was relinquished upon stepping down from being an active member of the British royal family. At the time, the father of two — who shares children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with wife Meghan Markle — argued that his children should have police assistance in order to avoid the “danger” in the U.K.
“The U.K. is my home,” Harry said in a statement at the time. “The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil. I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”