Prince Harry loses appeal to restore his UK government-funded security detail

Harry had argued that he and his family face serious safety risks while in the UK due to online threats and media attention. His lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, told the court, “There is a person sitting behind me who is being told he is getting a special bespoke process, when he knows and has experienced a process that is manifestly inferior in every respect.”

But the government’s lawyer, James Eadie, argued that Harry’s case was based on a misunderstanding. He said Harry was only focusing on small parts of the evidence, ignoring the full context. The Home Office had earlier decided there was “no basis for publicly funded security support” for Harry and Meghan in the UK.

The court also pointed out that Harry had already lost a related case where he tried to personally pay for police protection. A judge had ruled that public police officers shouldn’t be hired as “private bodyguards for the wealthy.”

As a result of Friday’s decision, Harry may now have to pay legal costs for both his team and the UK government. It’s not yet clear whether he will try to take the case to the UK Supreme Court.

Prince Harry, now 40 and the younger son of King Charles III, has taken on multiple legal battles with the UK press and government in recent years. While he’s lost some, he’s also won significant privacy cases  including a major court victory in 2023 against the Daily Mirror over phone hacking, and a large settlement earlier this year from Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids, who admitted to invading his privacy.

Another lawsuit by Harry against the publisher of the Daily Mail is still ongoing.

(With inputs from AP)