Prince Harry wins bid to challenge UK over his security arrangements

[July 22, 2022]  By Sachin Ravikumar and Farouq Suleiman

LONDON (Reuters) -A British court on Friday granted permission for Prince Harry to challenge a government decision that denied him police protection while in Britain.

Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, received the full police protection generally accorded to royal figures before he decided to step back from his royal duties and moved to the United States with wife Meghan in 2020.

He has sought to challenge a February 2020 decision by the UK Home Office - the ministry responsible for policing, immigration and security - for him to cease receiving police protection while in Britain, even if he covers the cost himself.

A British High Court judge granted permission for part of Harry's claim for a judicial review of the decision. A judicial review involves a judge examining the legitimacy of a public body's decision.

The permission was granted on several different grounds although not on all of those the prince's legal team had sought, a judgment published on the court's website showed.

The Home Office said via email it would not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

"The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security," a government spokesperson said.

Britain's Prince Harry leaves after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London, Britain, June 3, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool

Harry's legal representatives were not immediately reachable for comment.

The court gave permission for the judicial review on the grounds that the prince should have been informed about the Home Office's security policy before the decision to deny him police protection was made.

He should have had the chance to make his case to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, or RAVEC, the Home Office wing that made the decision, the judgement added.

No date was set for the judicial review.

Earlier this month lawyers for Harry argued in court that the royal household should not have been involved in the UK's decision to deny him police protection. Harry, Meghan and their two young children live in California.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James and Andrew Heavens)

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