Prince Harry ‘on a hiding to nothing’ as Duke sent huge warning over UK security appeal
Prince Harry will now be allowed to take his case to the Court of Appeal, after a judge ruled earlier this year that he will not have his security level restored.
Prince Harry is fighting a losing battle with his determination to appeal the decision made by the Home Office to strip him of his royal taxpayer-funded security, it has been claimed.
It was ruled by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) in February 2020 that the Duke of Sussex should receive a different level of security from the rest of the Royal Family.
This decision was made after he and Meghan Markle announced they would be stepping back as full-time senior royals and no longer carry out official royal duties.
Although Harry protested against the outcome, earlier this year High Court judge Sir Peter Lane ruled that Ravec’s decision was “not irrational” and would stand.
This week however news broke that the Prince will now be able to appeal this ruling, in spite of the huge amount of money it has already cost him and the British taxpayer.
Prince Harry has been given grounds to appeal the ruling on his security (Image: Getty)
TalkTV’s Kevin O’Sullivan has claimed that warned the Duke on his show that he would lose the appeal but admitted Harry just cannot let go of his determination to be treated like a working royal.
The journalist bemoaned: “He is absolutely obsessed with this and I would say once again, you can’t pre-judge these things, but he’s on a hiding to nothing.
“The last time he got his appeal rejected, it wasn’t just rejected, the judge effectively said: ‘Why are you wasting our time? Why are you wasting your time and your money with this lost cause?’
“By the way, until then it had cost the British taxpayer half a million pounds, the judge said: ‘Well Harry, you’re paying the Home Office’s expenses’.
Harry and Meghan are not entitled to the same level of security as working royals (Image: Getty)
“He’s going to go back into court, it’s going to cost British taxpayers more money and I’m going to predict he will lose again.”
Prince Harry reportedly refused a room at a royal residence last time he was in the UK last month, supposedly due to security concerns, and Meghan Markle has not been back to the UK for nearly two years.
Kevin O’Sullivan and royal commentator Kinsey Schofield also noted that Harry and Meghan had recently travelled to Nigeria on a seemingly “unofficial” royal tour.
While there, they did not have access to the same level of security that the Firm would receive if they had embarked on such a tour, despite concerns about how safe a country Nigeria is.
Meghan Markle was last in the UK for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral (Image: Getty)
Following the ruling earlier this year, a spokesperson for Harry said: “The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy.
“In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis.
“The Duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis.
“The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing.”
