Prince Harry’s Lawyer Says the Royal Felt "Forced to Step Back" From Royal Life Over Security Battle

Prince Harry appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday, April 8 as the legal battle over his security arrangements in the U.K. continues—and according to his lawyer, the Duke of Sussex felt like he had no choice but to step away from royal duties due to the lack of police protection given to himself and his family.

During the hearing, Prince Harry's barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, said the Duke of Sussex had been "singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment" in the court's original 2020 ruling removing his taxpayer-funded security. In February 2024, the High Court found that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) had acted fairly in its decision denying him of police services in the U.K. However, Harry was given permission to challenge the earlier High Court ruling in May 2024.

"When Ravec made its February 2020 decision about the appellant's protective security, it did not apply its own terms of reference to that decision-making process," Fatima told the court, per the BBC.

She continued that "On January 8 2020, [the Duke of Sussex] and his wife felt forced to step back from the role of full-time official working members of the royal family as they considered they were not being protected by the institution, but they wished to continue their duties in support of the late Queen as privately funded members of the royal family."

According to the Mirror, barristers from the Home Office "decided that Harry would not be provided protective security 'on the same basis as before' due to him no longer being a working member of the royal family and living abroad most of the time." A source added that Ravec's rulings were made "on a 'case-by-case' basis."

However, Fatima told the court that the duke's "security does not appear to have been discussed at any formal Ravec meeting and there are no official notes or detailed minutes recording the approach to be taken to [his] security and the rationale for it."

In July 2024, the Duke of Sussex appeared in the documentary Tabloids on Trial, stating he didn't feel safe bringing his family to the U.K. without police protection. "It's still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read," he said. "And whether it's a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me, it's one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country."

Per the Mirror, the Duke of Sussex "brushed off any questions about King Charles" while entering the court on Tuesday. The King and Queen Camilla are currently on a state visit to Italy, with Their Highnesses set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, April 9.