Henry of England loses the last legal battle against the British Government: he will not pay for his security

In recent weeks, Prince Harry of England has become one of the protagonists of international media headlines: first, for his attendance at the coronation of his father, King Charles III, although without his wife or children; then, for receiving an apology from one of the British tabloids, the Daily Mirror, against which he had filed a lawsuit for illegal wiretapping; just a week ago for the persecution in which, always according to his version, he, his wife, Meghan Markle, and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved. And, now, he is again the protagonist after receiving bad news about a legal process he had opened against the British Government: neither he nor his family will have the right to use public security when he goes to the United Kingdom, as he had requested.

It all started three years ago, when the Dukes of Sussex, Harry and Meghan Markle, decided to renounce being members of the royal family and, therefore, to have the privileges of its members, such as private security that ensured their protection in the United Kingdom and everything related to public financing. The prince never agreed with that decision, arguing that both he and his children were public figures and very persecuted when they stepped on British territory and that they needed such protection. For that reason, he decided to take legal action (which has already cost British taxpayers almost 300,000 pounds, about 334,000 euros) before a London court to request police protection when he will be in the country.

Britons have already paid £300,000 for Prince Harry's legal battle for police protection in England

The court case has been ongoing since autumn 2021. A year and a half later, the High Court in London has ruled that the youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana cannot seek judicial review of the case, which has already been denied. Therefore, neither the Duke and Duchess of Sussex nor their children will receive security funded from British public funds when they visit the United Kingdom. Before this decision, in July 2022, the court allowed the prince to continue in the legal fight against the original decision to strip him of the security that, as usual, members of the royal family have. But now the same court has decided that his petition ends here.

Prince Henry's intention was not for taxpayers to pay for his protection in full. He offered to finance part of that security, an offer that was denied by the Ministry of the Interior. The institution defended at that time that the amount it offered was very small, so much so that it described it as "irrelevant". The fifth in the line of succession to the British throne has been supported by the fact that other members of the royal family who have left it – such as Prince Andrew of England, Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II, for his links with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – have continued to maintain police protection at no cost.

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Ms. Foundation For Women Awards Gala, May 16, 2023, in New YorkKevin Mazur (Getty Images Ms. Foundation for )

According to sources close to the BBC, Home Office lawyers are opposed to wealthy people being able to "buy" police security. The Ravec (executive committee for the protection of royalty and public figures), in charge of deciding on royal security, has granted an "exceptional status" to the Duke of Sussex on the rare occasions in which he has traveled to the United Kingdom, all after studying "the functions he carries out when he is present in the country". For this reason, the committee is responsible for implementing "a particular approach" to each case according to the circumstances.

It is the first time a member of the royal family has filed a complaint against the British government. After the media leaked the start of the legal process, a representative of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a statement clarifying the situation and explaining that what Prince Harry wanted was to "ensure their safety and that of their family while they are in the United Kingdom so that their children can know their country of origin." The family has private security in the United States, but they have no jurisdiction abroad, nor access to the UK intelligence needed to keep them safe.

The news comes a week after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, always according to their version, were victims of an intense car chase by paparazzi through the streets of New York, where they went to collect an award. A situation that reminded us of the death of Diana of Wales in Paris, 25 years ago, when she tried to avoid the photographers who followed her. In fact, the prince and Markle requested that they be given the images taken during the persecution, a decision that was also rejected. The agency in charge of them was blunt claiming that they do not have any kind of royal privilege in the United States: "The property belongs to the owner of it: third parties cannot demand that it be given to them, as perhaps kings can do."