Prince Harry believes he faces a greater security risk than his late mother, Princess Diana. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry believes he faces a greater security risk than his late mother, Princess Diana. Photo / Getty Images
A few months after he appealed the judgement in his police protection case, Prince Harry has seemingly been given a second chance at fighting for his family’s security when visiting Britain.
Prince Harry has won permission to appeal against a High Court ruling over his security arrangements.
The Duke of Sussex had sought a judicial review of the decision to remove his right to automatic police protection when he moved abroad.
However, in February he “comprehensively lost” what Justice Lane later called a “frankly hopeless” bid to appeal his case against the Home Office.
The claim was dismissed after two-and-a-half years of legal wrangling.
The judge insisted that the decision made by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) had not been irrational or procedurally unfair.
However, the Duke lodged an application to appeal against the ruling and an order by Lord Justice Bean, dated May 23, grants him leave to challenge the judgment.
The court concluded that there was a “real prospect of success” in the Duke’s argument that Ravec should have followed its own written policy.
It found Justice Lane may have erred in concluding the Duke was not in a comparable position to those in an “other VIP category” who receive state security.
A crucial step
The decision marks a crucial step in the Duke’s ongoing legal battle to ensure the safety of his family while in the United Kingdom.
He believes that he is unable to bring his wife, Meghan, or their two children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, to the UK.
The Duke’s legal team is understood to have asked the court to expedite the case due to fears of an increased risk to the Duke, including threats against him made by al-Qaeda.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at the Redwoods forest in Rotorua in 2018. Photo / Dean Purcell
The February ruling is also feared to have impacted the approach other countries take to his security and comes ahead of multiple foreign tours planned by the Sussexes.
The Telegraph revealed last month that the Duke had turned down an invitation from his father to stay at Buckingham Palace because of security concerns.
Royal residences are among the best-protected properties in the country, with armed officers stationed at the gates.
However, he opted instead to stay at a hotel when he visited in May so he could come and go unseen.
The litigation has already left the Duke with an estimated legal bill of more than £1 million ($2.06 million).
Prince Harry has argued that he had been “singled out” and treated “less favourably” than others by Ravec. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke applied for a judicial review after Ravec declared in February 2020 that he and his family were no longer entitled to the “same degree” of personal security when visiting Britain.
Instead, the committee created a “bespoke” approach that involved assessing each visit on its merits but which has resulted in the Duke being denied police protection on each subsequent return to the UK.
His legal challenge was based on an alleged lack of transparency about Ravec’s composition and processes, as he argued that he had been denied a “clear and full explanation” of the composition of Ravec and how it operates.
He also argued that he had been “singled out” and treated “less favourably” than others by Ravec.
Shaheed Fatima KC, his lawyer, said the committee had also failed to consider the potential “impact on the UK’s reputation” of a successful attack on the Duke, “bearing in mind his status, background and profile within the Royal family”.
The Duke believed he faced a greater risk than his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, with “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
