Janice R. Andrews
In a major legal move, Prince Harry has been given permission to file an appeal against his High Court ruling that changed his personal security arrangements while he was in the UK. The Duke of Sussex may now appeal the February ruling of retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane, according to a ruling rendered by Lord Justice Bean on May 23.
Following a decision made in February 2020 by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), Prince Harry first filed a lawsuit against the Home Office. The Duke would no longer be eligible for the same degree of government-funded security while he was in the UK, according to this ruling. Harry’s legal team contended that Ravec had “singled him out” and treated him “less favourably”.
A representative for Prince Harry clarified at the time that he was only asking for a “fair and lawful application” of Ravec’s regulations, not special treatment. Sir Peter Lane, however, rejected the Duke’s argument, saying that Ravec’s strategy was neither procedurally unjust nor unreasonable. He upheld Prince Harry’s customized procedure, ruling it to be legally sound.
Prince Harry’s attorneys announced their plan to file an appeal in spite of this defeat, arguing that Ravec had not properly applied its written policy to the Duke. They contended that a comprehensive risk analysis could not be adequately replaced by the tailored process.
The appeal was granted soon after it was reported that Prince Harry turned down a meeting with King Charles because of inadequate security measures and chose to stay in a hotel in order to have more solitude. This episode confirmed his continued worries about his own security.
In addition, given Nigeria’s high-risk rating, doubts were raised about Prince Harry and Meghan’s recent trip there. They were given substantial security measures, both privately sponsored and supplied by Nigeria, in spite of the risks, highlighting the significance of their protection in high-risk situations.
Prince Harry wants to make sure that Ravec’s policies give him equal weight, so he intends to obtain a fair reevaluation of his security needs as the appeal process moves forward. As the case proceeds to the Court of Appeal, more developments are expected.
