LONDON – Prince Harry has lost a bid to bring a second legal challenge against the UK Home Office over his security arrangements when in Britain, reported German news agency (dpa).
The Duke of Sussex had asked for permission to bring a high court challenge over a decision that he should not be allowed to pay privately for his protective security.
At a hearing earlier this month, a judge was asked by Harry’s legal team to allow the duke to proceed with a claim over decisions taken by the Home Office and the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) in December 2021 and February 2022.
The Home Office, opposing Harry’s claim, said Ravec – which falls under the Home Office’s remit – considered it was “not appropriate” for wealthy people to “buy” protective security, which might include armed officers, when it had decided that “the public interest does not warrant” someone receiving such protection on a publicly funded basis.
Lawyers for the Metropolitan Police, an interested party in the case, said Ravec had been “reasonable” in finding “it is wrong for a policing body to place officers in harm’s way upon payment of a fee by a private individual”.
In a ruling today, justice Martin Chamberlain refused Harry permission to bring the second challenge, rejecting it on a number of grounds.
The court was told at an earlier hearing that the duke’s latest legal challenge was related to an earlier claim he brought against the Home Office after he was told he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting Britain.
A full hearing in that challenge, which also focuses on Ravec’s decision-making and for which Harry was given the go-ahead last summer, is yet to be held.
Today’s ruling comes amid an ongoing high court trial involving the duke, in which he is bringing a contested claim against Mirror Group Newspapers over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
Harry is also waiting for rulings over whether similar cases against publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) and News Group Newspapers can go ahead.
A judgment is also expected in the duke’s libel claim against ANL – publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday – over an article on his case against the Home Office. – Bernama, May 23, 2023
