Prince Harry Loses Police Protection Case
This morning, Prince Harry lost a court case surrounding his police protection while in the UK.
In a 51-page ruling, High Court Judge Peter Lane wrote that RAVEC did not unlawfully change Prince Harry's status after he stepped down as a senior working royal. (RAVEC stands for the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, and coordinates between the Royal Household, the Metropolitan Police, and the Home Office.)
Lane argues that Harry's lawyers took "an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the RAVEC process." He added, "Insofar as the case-by-case approach may otherwise have caused difficulties, they have not been shown to be such as to overcome the high hurdle so as to render the decision-making." Last year, the High Court ruled Harry cannot pay for his own police protection while in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex plans to appeal the decision. A legal spokesperson said, "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 added, "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."
When the case was initially revealed in 2022, a legal representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement, "Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats. While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family."
They added, "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home."
Since, however, Prince Harry has returned to the UK—including just last month to visit his father, King Charles.
You Might Also Like
