Prince Harry, Meghan Markle left off invite list for Trooping the Colour
The Duke of Sussex has can now appeal his High Court defeat and fight for security to be paid for out of the public purse while he’s on British soil.
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Prince Harry’s lawyer has revealed the exiled royal has been given the green light to appeal the British government’s decision not to provide publicly-funded police protection whenever he visits home.
King Charles’s youngest son had lost his legal fight for UK security in a challenge against the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – when the court ruled he was not automatically entitled to personal police security when visiting his home land.
His legal team had contested a decision of the Home Office’s Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).
Harry maintained he had been treated “less favourably” than other members of his family, even though he is no longer a working royal.
In a previous 52-page redacted ruling dismissing the Duke’s claim, High Court judge Sir Peter Lane said Harry’s lawyers had taken “an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the Ravec process.”
“The bespoke process devised for the claimant in the decision of February 28 2020 was, and is, legally sound,” he added.
On Thursday, Prince Harry was awarded the right to challenge Sir Peter’s dismissal at the Court of Appeal, according to an order by Lord Justice Bean dated May 23.
A spokesman for Harry had previously insisted his client would appeal, saying: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy.”
“In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis.
“The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing,” the spokesman added.
LATEST HARRY AND MEGHAN SNUB
It comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been snubbed from the annual Trooping the Colour for the second year in a row.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been left off the invite list for the June 15 event, People has confirmed.
The pair did attend the 2022 event, which coincided with Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne.
However, the Sussexes were noticeably separate from the rest of the royal family and did not join the traditional balcony appearance as they had done in previous years.
Next week’s event is set to be a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry featuring over 1,400 officers and soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians.
The parade will start at Buckingham Palace and make a loop through The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, where King Charles will be greeted by a royal salute.
Instead of riding on horseback as he has done in previous years, the cancer-stricken monarch will travel in a horse-drawn carriage alongside Queen Camilla.
It comes after King Charles sent his granddaughter Princess Lilibet a special gift for her third birthday following the child’s party in Montecito, despite his strained relationship with son Prince Harry.
The Sussexes celebrated Lilibet’s birthday with celebrity friends including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, who live nearby, The Mirror reports.
Royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror: “King Charles had no intention of completely ignoring Lilibet’s birthday so he has sent a gift along with a message.”
Mr Quinn said there would be another precious gift for Lilibet from King Charles when the timing was right.
The expert said: “He gave Prince George a beautiful handmade wooden swing with George’s name carved on it and he has plans to give something similar to Lilibet but not this year. And not unless and until the family feud dies down.”
Several Montecito-based celebrities and friends of the Sussexes are believed to have attended Lilibet’s birthday celebrations, including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
Mr Quinn added: “Rather than go for a low-key celebration Harry and Meghan have spent the past weekend enjoying a pre-birthday bash for their daughter Lilibet’s third birthday.
“Hugely expensive presents have been ruled out but the couple’s mansion in California was awash with celebrities including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and their daughter Daisy who is just a few months older than Lilibet.”
Meanwhile, the youngest son of Beatles legend John Lennon has told how he received death threats after mocking Prince Harry’s explosive memoir, Spare.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Sean Ono Lennon revealed that he was targeted by trolls after saying that Prince Harry should have titled his memoir “Spare Me”.
Some comments were particularly hurtful, with one referencing his late father’s murder outside the Dakota building in New York in 1980.
Sean’s initial tweet said: “My long-awaited review of Prince Harry’s autobiography is two words: ‘Spare Me.’”
He added: “We met once. That was before I realised he was an idiot.”
In a separate post, Sean said the Duke of Sussex had “earned some mockery”.
He wrote: “I do empathise with him generally. But the way he whines and wangs on about things is really too much. I’m just having a little fun. I think he’s earned some mockery. (I’m sure I have as well).”
WHY HARRY WAS ‘UNINVITED’ FROM BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING
The Duke of Sussex pulled out of attending his best friend’s wedding when the Duke of Westminster personally called to express concerns his attendance would overshadow the event amid heightened royal tensions.
In an awkward transatlantic phone conversation, the groom-to-be Hugh Grosvenor told Prince Harry he was in a difficult position over inviting him and Prince William to his wedding at Chester Cathedral in North West England on Friday.
After having told Harry to “save the date” Grosvenor, who is reportedly a godfather of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’s son Archie, suggested he should reconsider the invitation to avoid “royal tensions” that would risk overshadowing the wedding.
Sources say an amicable “understanding” was reached between the dukes during the conversation, paving the way for Prince William to perform the role of usher.
Grosvenor, who is the richest man in the UK under the age of 40, is also godfather to William’s oldest son Prince George, who is also among the 400 wedding guests.
“It is understood that a civilised understanding was reached between the duke and Harry over the phone,” The Times reports.
“Harry was invited but then agreed to stay away. The duke’s diplomacy then cleared the way for William to perform the role of usher during Friday’s ceremony — a job that would have been beyond awkward if he was obliged to show Harry to his pew, even though he might enjoy telling him where to go.”
The Princess of Wales will not attend the UK society wedding of the year as she continues her recovery after revealing earlier this year that she is undergoing chemotherapy.
Hugh “Hughie” Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, will marry his long term
girlfriend and fiancee Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on Friday.
Chester is blooming ahead of the nuptials with the city decorated in 100,000 flowers planted in displays paid for by the groom.
King Charles, who is in turn godfather to Grosvenor, will be returning from Normandy in northern France for the D-Day commemorations and has confirmed he is unable to attend the ceremony.
Much like the Princess of Wales, Henson is understood to have attended the exclusive Marlborough College, and before that was at the equally elite Dragon School in Oxford.
The Duke of Westminster is said to be close to both princes, who have not spoken since before Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022 with tensions made worse after Harry released his autobiography Spare spilling the royal family’s secrets.
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