Prince Harry 'tried to circumvent Royal household over security concerns', court told

Legal papers claim Duke of Sussex orchestrated a meeting with Sir Mark Sedwill after he felt his fears weren’t "given proper consideration". Photo / Getty Images

The Duke of Sussex tried to circumvent the Royal household by lobbying a senior government adviser over his security concerns, according to court documents.

Prince Harry offered to pay for his own security at the Royal family's so-called "Sandringham summit" in January 2020 but felt his concerns were "not given proper consideration".

Among those at the meeting were Sir Edward Young, Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary, and Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, both of whom promised to get back to him, it is claimed.

Prince Harry was not aware at the time that Sir Edward was a member of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which makes decisions over who is afforded police protection.

But he was so frustrated by the lack of response that he "complained", legal papers allege.

He orchestrated a meeting with Sir Mark Sedwill, then cabinet secretary and national security adviser to Boris Johnson, before reinforcing his concerns with him one week later.

Justin Rushbrook KC, the Duke's barrister, said the royal had "believed and hoped" that his offer to pay would be communicated to Ravec.

But he added that "it became increasingly clear to him that his concerns, in particular as regards his and his family's security, were not being given proper consideration".

The Duke and Duchess said they could not return to the UK because the private security team they use in the US could not replicate the protection needed whilst in Britain. Photo / Getty Images

On February 28, 2020, the chair of Ravec wrote to the Royal household stating that the Sussexes would no longer be entitled to automatic police protection when in the UK as their plan to live abroad as private citizens did not "fit readily" into any category of its framework.

Their Metropolitan Police security was then promptly withdrawn "at very short notice," Rushbrook said.

It was "not (the Duke's) choice and it was against his wishes" that his family's protection was withdrawn "as soon as it was" at the beginning of what was meant to be a "transitional year" in which he and Meghan were permitted to start working commercially.

The court documents indicate that only "in due course" did they expect to be in a position to pay for their own security, if necessary.

The statements were made in a formal response lodged with the High Court in defamation proceedings against the Mail on Sunday.

The Duke is suing the newspaper over a story that said that he had tried to keep "secret" parts of his legal fight with the Home Office and attempted to "spin" the dispute in his favour by claiming he had offered to pay for police protection.

He won the first stage in July when Mr Justice Nicklin concluded that the article was defamatory in parts because it suggested the Prince's actions were "discreditable" and that he had intended to "mislead the public".

The Duke is also embroiled in two separate legal actions against the Home Office over the decision to deny him and his family automatic security.

He won the right to a judicial review after arguing he had been denied a "clear and full explanation" of the composition of Ravec and others involved in its decision-making.

A second application for a judicial review, based on his offer to pay for protection, which he claims should have prompted the Home Office to "quash and retake" its decision, is pending.

The Duke did not make his offer to pay personally for his protection directly to Ravec prior to launching legal action against the Home Office last September, he admitted.

But he considers that "irrelevant" as he had made his position clear at the Sandringham summit, via the Royal household, which was expected to act as a conduit.

In early 2020, the Duke of Sussex orchestrated a meeting with Sir Mark Sedwill, then Cabinet Secretary and National Security adviser to Boris Johnson. Photo / Getty Images

In January this year, his office released a public statement stating that the private security team he and the Duchess used in the US could not replicate the protection needed while in the UK, meaning that they were unable to return home.

It said their offer to fund their police protection personally had been dismissed.

Sources close to the couple said that Ravec's decision-making had been "unreasonable, opaque and inconsistent", adding that the controversy surrounding their departure from full-time royal duties and the hostility of a range of extremist groups and fixated people, made the UK environment "particularly risky."

Despite their concerns, the Sussexes flew back to the UK to undertake various engagements in early September, shortly before the Queen died.

The couple were flanked by two former Metropolitan Police officers whom they hired to protect them. One of them, Dave Langdown, was a trusted and long-standing member of the Duke's former royal protection team, who accompanied Harry on his now infamous trip to Las Vegas in 2012 – when he played naked billiards with a stripper.