Judge denies Prince Harry judicial review into personal protection

The Duke of Sussex has lost his bid against the Home Office to allow him to buy security from the police when he visits the UK, as the whopping cost to taxpayers is revealed.

The Duke of Sussex has lost his bid for a second legal challenge against the Home Office to allow him to buy security from the police when he visits the UK.

Prince Harry’s lawyers were seeking the go-ahead from the High Court to secure a judicial review over a decision that he should not be allowed to pay privately for his protective security when he stopped being a “working royal”.

A judge has ruled not to give the go ahead for a hearing.

The rejection by the High Court has cost taxpayers more than £300,000 ($A563,000) so far including on government legal department costs, court fees, general counsel and for a courier.

The Home Office – which is responsible for policing, immigration and security – decided in February 2020 that the prince would cease receiving personal police security while in Britain, even if he were to cover the cost himself.

Prince Harry has lost his bid for a second legal challenge against the Home Office to allow him to buy security from the police when he visits the UK. Picture: Belinda Jiao/Getty Images

The metropolitan police were opposed to being drafted in to help protect the prince and his family when in the UK, saying to do so would be “dangerous.”

The High Court, which last year already agreed he should be allowed to challenge an original decision to end the protection, ruled he could not also seek a judicial review over whether to let him pay for the specialist police officers himself.

At a hearing earlier this month, a judge was asked by Harry’s legal team to allow him to bring a case over decisions taken by the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) – which falls under the jurisdiction of the department – in December 2021 and February 2022.

This ruling followed a one-day court hearing in London last week.

Since then the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been involved in what their spokesperson described as a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi in New York.

Prince Harry challenged how the decision was reached by Ravec, which covers security for high-profile figures, including senior royals.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards. Following the event, the Sussexes said they were involved in what their spokesperson described as a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

“Ravec has exceeded its authority, its power, because it doesn’t have the power to make this decision in the first place,” Prince Harry’s lawyers had told the court last week.

They suggested that there were provisions in legislation allowing for payment for “special police services” and as such “payment for policing is not inconsistent with the public interest or public confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service”.

Lawyers for the Home Office said the type of protection under discussion, which could mean “specialist officers as bodyguards”, was not the same as funding for extra policing for football matches.

A barrister for the Metropolitan Police argued that it would be unreasonable to expose officers to danger because of “payment of a fee by a private individual”.

When Prince Harry stepped down from being a “working royal” in 2020, it meant he no longer had access to his previous level of security.

Originally published as Judge denies Prince Harry judicial review into personal protection