Prince Harry to learn outcome of legal battle over his security arrangements while in UK

2 May 2025, 09:56 | Updated: 2 May 2025, 09:59

The Duke of Sussex is due to discover later whether or not he's won a Court of Appeal case over his security arrangements while in the UK.

Prince Harry is challenging the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office - over a decision to strip him of automatic police protection - when he stepped back as a senior royal in 2020.

The appeal hearing, which took place on April 8 and 9 in the Royal Courts of Justice, is the latest development in a years-long High Court battle against the Home Office - specifically, the Executive Committee for Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).

Ravec ruled in 2020 that The Duke should receive a different degree of protection when visiting the UK, following his departure to California.

The ruling was made on the basis that Harry, no longer a full-time working royal, should receive a different proportion of taxpayer-funded protection.

In his appeal, The Duke’s representation argued he had been “singled out for inferior treatment” by Ravec, and his safety, security and life were at stake.

Represented by Shaheed Fatima KC, the Duke’s team noted al Qaida had called for Harry’s murder after Ravec’s decision.

The Government had previously argued that Ravec was entitled to consider the Duke’s protection on a “bespoke”, or “case-by-case” basis.

However, Ms Fatima argued that bespoke did not mean “better”, and this wording had left leeway for him to be singled out.

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“He is no longer a member of the cohort of individuals whose security position remains under regular review by Ravec,” he has said.

“Rather, he is brought back into the cohort in appropriate circumstances, and in light of consideration of any given context.”

Harry’s legal team first disputed Ravec’s ruling in 2021, citing that he didn’t currently feel safe bringing his children to the UK, and that his privately funded team in the US did not have the proper jurisdiction to protect them in the UK.

The claim was thrown out in early 2024 by High Court judge Sir Peter Lane, who concluded Ravec’s approach was “not procedurally unfair”.

The Duke was then given the go-ahead by the Court of Appeals to challenge the decision in June 2024.