Prince Harry ‘singled out for inferior treatment’ over police protection, court told

London: Prince Harry made a rare public appearance in Britain at London’s Royal Courts of Justice to fight the government over changes made to his security after he stepped down from royal duties, which his lawyer branded unjustified.

Harry, King Charles’ youngest son, is trying to overturn a decision by the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – which decided in February 2020 he would not automatically receive personal police security while in Britain.

Last year, the High Court in London ruled the decision was lawful, but the Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers.

He arrived smiling and waving on Tuesday, local time, for the two-day hearing.

His lawyer Shaheed Fatima, KC, told the court the agency that protects royal and public figures had treated Harry, the Duke of Sussex, on a “bespoke” basis not applied to anyone else.

“It means he has been singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment,” she said, saying he was not seeking to be treated as he was when a working member of the royal family.

A court sketch showing Prince Harry, left, watching on as his lawyer Shaheed Fatima, KC, addressed the court on Tuesday.Credit: Illustration: Elizabeth Cook//PA via AP

The prince, 40, listened intently as the packed courtroom heard mainly technical legal submissions.

In written submissions, Harry’s lawyers said the terrorist group al-Qaeda had recently called for him to be murdered, and he and his American wife Meghan had been involved in “a dangerous car pursuit with paparazzi in New York City” in 2023.

It was not clear if Harry, now living in California, would be seeing any of his family from whom he has become estranged since his public criticism of his relatives and royal aides.

Charles and Harry’s stepmother Queen Camilla are on a state visit to Italy where they will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves the High Court in London, England. Credit: Getty Images

The court case also coincided with the airing of Meghan’s new podcast in which she revealed she had been diagnosed with postpartum pre-eclampsia after giving birth to one of the couple’s children.

Harry’s trip comes amid a high-profile, bitter dispute with the chief executive of his charity Sentebale, which he founded in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. Sophie Chandauka has accused him of bullying and racism, while Harry, who stepped down from his role at the charity, has called what happened “heartbreaking”.

Harry, along with other senior royals, had received full publicly funded security protection before he stepped back from his royal duties in March 2020.

The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as RAVEC, then decided Harry would no longer receive the same level of protection.

The government’s lawyer, James Eadie, said the decision was not that personal security should not be provided, but it would not be on the same basis due to the duke’s change of status and moving abroad. He said the bespoke arrangement served Harry better.

The case against the government is one of a number of legal forays the prince has made in recent years, having taken action against a number of British newspapers over invasions of privacy and phone-hacking.

Reuters