Prince Harry loses appeal over police protection he enjoys in the UK

On Tuesday, the British judiciary rejected Prince Harry’s request to pay his personal money to protect the police when he is in the United Kingdom.

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Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, have lost the law enforcement protection afforded to them at the expense of the British taxpayer after they decided to step down from the royal family in 2020.

Sussex, who is immobilized with her two children in California, benefits from special protection in the United States. But Harry argues that this security team does not have access to the intelligence needed to be able to keep his family safe on British soil.

So Harry offered to have his security costs covered by the police and asked to file a case in the High Court to challenge the refusal, which was opposed by the Home Office.

But on Tuesday, a judge closed the door to the trial, rejecting the prince’s arguments on several points.

At a hearing in mid-May, the Home Office argued that it was “not appropriate” for the wealthy to “buy” protection that could include armed officers when it was determined that “the public interest does not justify” them obtaining protection on a publicly funded basis.

This plea from Harry was the second in regards to his safety. The other case is still in progress.

The question of his safety returned to the fore in mid-May, when the prince and his wife were chased by paparazzi in New York.

The incident gave rise to differing accounts, but a source close to the couple claimed that the outcome of this “stalking” could be “fatal”.

Harry accuses the press and paparazzi of causing a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 that killed his mother, Lady Dee.

The prince is also leading a legal offensive against several tabloids. He is expected to testify in person in June, according to the British press.