20 April 2022 | Prince Harry opens up about his recent visit with the Queen, revealing he made sure she was being "protected". Video / NBC
Prince Harry's strained relationship with one of Queen Elizabeth's top aides has been revealed in court.
The Duke of Sussex is currently being represented in the High Court in London by his lawyers, who are seeking permission for a judicial review into the status of his UK government-funded security.
It comes after the 2020 decision to remove Harry's automatic right to UK police security following his decision to step back from front-line royal duties.
Now it has been revealed members of the royal household were involved in the decision including the Queen's Private Secretary, Sir Edward Young, whom the prince is said to have "significant tensions" with.
The Daily Mail has reported that Harry's lawyer, Shaeed Fatima, told the court: "He (Prince Harry) didn't know at that stage that the royal household was involved at all ... he was told it was an independent decision."
Prince Harry is taking legal action after the UK government removed his family's bodyguards. Photo / Getty Images
Fatima went on to say she did not believe this created any bias in Ravec's (Royal and VIP Executive Committee) decision about Prince Harry's security, however the prince was "surprised" to learn of the household's involvement.
The Queen's Private Secretary, Sir Edward Young and Prince Harry are said to have "significant tensions". Photo / Getty Images
The publication reported the duke's legal team will argue prior decisions about his security arrangements are invalid due to "procedural unfairness" because he was not given an opportunity to make "informed representations beforehand".
Fatima said it was not certain whether the duke's offer to pay for security was "conveyed to Ravec before the decision was made".
"He does not know what else - as communicated by him to the royal household - was not fully/timeously conveyed to Ravec.
"He was deprived of the opportunity to comment on the appropriateness of Ravec's process (and) the involvement of certain individuals in the Ravec process prior to the decision being made.
"It is arguable that, if there had been a fair process, Ravec would or could have reached a different decision."
Meanwhile, the judge on the case, Judge Jonathan Swift, said: "The penny must have dropped," before going on to say it was "obvious" the household was involved with the decision due to their longstanding involvement with Ravec.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK last month for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Photo / Getty Images
Representing the UK government is Sir James Eadie, who said Ravec was "entitled" to reach the decision it did due to the duke's change in circumstance, adding the committee will consider Prince Harry's security arrangement's on a "case by case" basis.
Eadie insisted tensions between the prince and royal household officials were "irrelevant" to his change in status and argued a full judicial review should be refused.
"In his skeleton, the claimant now refers to objections he might have made to any role being played by officials of the royal household in Ravec's decision-making - apparently because of personal tensions he felt with them.
"But there is no bias challenge and any such tensions are irrelevant to the undisputed fact of the claimant's change in status which led to the decision of Ravec," Said Eadie.
Judge Swift is expected to reappear with a decision to the hearing by the end of July.
