LONDON — Prince Harry lost Tuesday a legal challenge over his bid to be allowed to cover the costs of British police protection for himself and his family when visiting the United Kingdom.
Harry travels with his own security, but he wanted to pay for specially-trained British police officers who have access to U.K. intelligence when he was in the country. The second son of King Charles III currently resides in California.
Harry’s security arrangements changed after he stepped down from being a “working royal.” The Home Office in 2020 decided that Harry would not receive personal police protection in Britain, even if he were to pay for it out of his own pocket. They say this would set a precedent where wealthy individuals can pay for police.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Harry’s request for a judicial review of the rejection of his offer to cover the costs would not be allowed.
The ruling comes days after Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in what their spokesperson described as a “near catastrophic” car chase in New York City.
Harry is still involved in multiple legal battles in the U.K. — he is suing the publishers of three of the largest tabloids in Britain over claims they hacked his phones and invaded his privacy. The fifth-in-line to the throne is widely expected to appear in the witness box early next month.
