PRINCE Harry today lost the first round of his legal bid to challenge the decision to remove his publicly funded security.
The Duke of Sussex’s 24-hour royal protection has been downgraded following Megxit.
Harry vowed to appeal the ruling but fell at the first hurdle in his legal bid today after being blocked from challenging it.
However, he can directly ask the Court of Appeal for the green light to challenge Sir Peter’s decision.
Harry launched proceedings against the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royals and Public Figures (Ravec) after being stripped of his protection.
He tried to sue the Home Office because it refused to spend taxpayers’ money money into bodyguards after he left the Royal Family.
Harry also wanted to fund his own armed Metropolitan Police bodyguards, but the authorities refused – with sources insisting the officers are not “guns for hire”.
He complained that he could not return to the UK with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet “because it is too dangerous” as a result of his security being downgraded.
His lawyers also claimed his treatment was “unlawful and unfair” and warned of “the impact on the UK’s reputation of a successful attack” on the duke.
But Ravec argued that allowing Harry to pay for his own protective security would be contrary to the public interest and undermine public confidence in the Metropolitan Police.
A judge ruled in February that there was no “illegality” in the call to remove Harry’s security.
The duke has security when staying at royal residences or attending royal events, but has to fend for himself if he wants to see friends while in Britain.
High Court judge Sir Peter Lane ruled in February that these conditions were fair and would continue.
He said Harry’s lawyers had adopted “an inappropriate and formalistic interpretation of the Ravec process.”
The judge added: “The ‘tailored’ process devised for the applicant in the decision of 28 February 2020 was, and is, legally sound.”
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