LONDON – A London judge on Tuesday ruled against Prince Harry’s efforts to pay for police protection on his UK tour.
A High Court judge has rejected a claim by the Duke of Sussex that the British government infringed on his authority when it denied him the right to appoint police to provide security in the UK.
The British government stopped providing security for Harry and his wife Meghan after they stepped down from royal duties and moved to California in 2020. A lawyer for the government argued in court that it should “allow police officers to be hired as personal bodyguards for the wealthy.”
Harry has said he does not feel safe visiting the UK with his young children, and has cited aggressive press photographers.
The matter was discussed last week on the same day Harry and Meghan sought cover from the paparazzi at a New York police station after a spokesperson said they were involved in a “near-destructive car chase” with photographers after a lavish event .
No one was injured and no citations were given, but police said photographers made it challenging for the couple to see where they were going.
Harry is separately challenging the decision to deny him government-paid security. That lawsuit is one of five active legal cases he has in London courts not against British tabloid publishers over libel or phone hacking allegations.
He is due to testify next month in a trial against the Daily Mirror’s publisher over allegations it used illegal means to gather material for dozens of articles about the Duke dating back to the 1990s .
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