The Brits have already paid £300,000 for Prince Harry's legal battle to get police protection in England

In January 2020, Henry of England and Meghan Markle announced their decision to leave the British royal family and go live abroad.

Something that fell like a bomb on Buckingham Palace, with a "furious" Queen Elizabeth and a "incandescent rage" Prince Charles.

With his departure, the Windsors reached an agreement: Enrique and Meghan renounced their title (they would continue to be the Dukes of Sussex, but they would stop participating in public events on behalf of the queen and they could no longer head their names with the initials HRM,

or

, His Royal Highness) and to receive public financing, thus continuing with his desire to “gradually achieve economic independence”.

For this reason, the police escort that ensured his safety in the United Kingdom was also withdrawn.

A decision with which the Duke of Sussex has never been satisfied, which is why he took legal action before a London court to request police protection when he was in the United Kingdom.

An action that, as the British media revealed today, has already cost British taxpayers a total of 296,882 pounds (about 334,129 euros at current exchange rates) according to data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, a law of the Parliament of the Kingdom Kingdom that creates a right of public access to information held by public authorities.

The court case has been ongoing since autumn 2021: after the tabloid

published a story about a possible legal battle, this being the first time that a member of the Royal Family brought a case against the British Government, a representative of Prince Harry issued a statement clarifying the situation.

According to that note, the objective of the Duke of Sussex was "to guarantee the safety of him and his family while he is in the United Kingdom so that his children can know their country of origin."

Despite the fact that during their trips to England, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their American private security force, their legal representatives pointed out that this team had no jurisdiction abroad or access to the intelligence information of the United Kingdom, necessary to keep them at bay. except.

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The statement made reference to the prince's desire to finance said security himself, preventing taxpayers from paying the bill, although it also indicated that there were other people who had left public office and maintained police protection at no cost.

This offer was denied by the Ministry of the Interior, further accusing the prince that the amount he offered was too small.

The letter went on to ensure that “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life.

He remains sixth in line to the throne, he served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan and his family has been the target of well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats in recent years.

Although his role within the institution has changed,

his profile as a member of the royal family has not.

Nor is the threat to him and his family.”

In February 2022, the first hearing was held at the High Court of Justice in London, where the prince's lawyers assured that Enrique and his family were "unable to return to their home" due to the lack of security.

They also claimed that the youngest son of Charles of England and the late Lady Di was looking forward to bringing her two children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK for a visit from the US, but claimed she was unable to do so.

Shaheed Fatima, the prince's legal representative, told the court: "This complaint is about the fact that the duke does not feel safe when he is in the UK because of security agreements that came into effect in June. 2021 and that will continue to apply if you decide to return.

According to

, the lawyer went on to explain before the British court: “It goes without saying that he wants to return home to see his family and friends and to continue supporting the charitable causes that matter so much to him.

This is and always will be his home.”

For their part, British Home Office lawyers argued during the hearing that the amount Enrique was willing to pay for that security was "irrelevant."

“Security personnel provided by the police are not available through private funding,” they stated.

They also explained that the committee in charge of deciding on the protection of public figures and members of the royal family has already granted Enrique an "exceptional status" on the occasions when he traveled to Great Britain "according to the functions he carries out when is present”, and that this committee “will implement a particular approach to each case according to the circumstances”.

Besides,

Those same lawyers stated in writing that Enrique did not show due respect to the Minister of the Interior and to that committee of experts in charge of making decisions on security and risks.

And, therefore, the Ministry was going to thoroughly examine the costs of this legal process.

The legal battle between Henry of England and the British Home Office will continue next April.

The experts do not know if it will come to an end before May 6, the day of the coronation of Carlos III of England.