LONDON — Prince Harry has lost a long and bitter fight over his level of security protection in the United Kingdom after a British court ruled that he has no right to full royal protection.
Harry has tried to keep the same level of security in Britain that he had when he was a “working royal” — at that time, Harry, like other senior royals, was entitled to blanket protection by specially trained police officers who have access to British intelligence.
But Harry’s security status was downgraded in 2020 after he stepped back from his royal duties and moved to California. Security protection is still available to Harry and his family when he is in the U.K., but the Home Office said that his level of security would be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Harry’s lawyers argued that the initial ruling that his security arrangements would be on a bespoke basis was unfair.
In his 51-page ruling, High Court Judge Peter Lane said that the approach by the executive committee for the protection of royalty and public figures — also known as Ravec — was not irrational nor was it procedurally unfair. The judge said that Harry’s lawyers had “an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the RAVEC process.”
When Harry made a transatlantic dash to Britain this month to see his father, King Charles III, who had just been diagnosed with cancer, he was driven from Heathrow Airport to the royal residence of Clarence House under a police escort.
This was one of two legal battles Harry has launched over his security arrangements in the U.K. He lost a separate legal challenge last year, which saw the king’s second son offering to pay for British police protection for himself and his family when visiting. Lawyers for the British government said that wealthy people should not be allowed to “buy” police protection.