The British judiciary, which in February refused to grant systematic police protection to Prince Harry during his visits to the United Kingdom, on Monday rejected the Duke of Sussex’s appeal and ordered that it include almost all legal costs in this case.
Prince Harry, the youngest son of King Charles III, and his wife, Meghan, lost their right to systematic protection at the expense of British taxpayers, after they decided to withdraw from the royal family in 2020 and settle in the United States.
Harry, who rarely visits the United Kingdom, appealed the authorities’ decision to grant him protection on a case-by-case basis.
At the end of February, the High Court in London ruled that this decision was neither “irrational” nor “unjust,” and that the strategy adopted by the police in dealing with each case individually “was and continues to be based on legal grounds.”
A spokesman for the Prince was quick to point out that Harry would appeal the decision, pointing out that Harry was not “demanding preferential treatment,” but rather just a “fair and lawful” application of the protection rules.
But the court rejected the prince’s appeal of the decision, and a spokesman explained that it was “largely a summary of the arguments presented by the plaintiff at trial.”
The judge in charge of the case reiterated that the authorities were “right” in not granting him systematic protection.
However, the prince can still appeal to the Court of Appeal.
On Monday, the judge also ordered Harry to pay 90 percent of the legal costs incurred by the Ministry of the Interior in this case.
The February ruling marks Prince Harry’s second legal defeat over responsibility for his security when he visits the UK.
In another action that ended in May, the courts denied him the right to benefit from police protection by paying for it with his own personal funds.
The Prince’s last known visit to the United Kingdom dates back to February 6. He then returned briefly to London to see his father, Charles, shortly after his cancer diagnosis.
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