Prince Harry has demanded that he be provided with a police security detail while in the United Kingdom, despite having abandoned his royal duties.
In a legal challenge against the loss of his police security detail when he and his family are in the UK, Prince Harry has claimed that official police protection is necessary as his private guards do not have access to intelligence reports.
The judicial review of the decision — which the prince’s lawyers say was first sought in September — may end up leading to a hearing in the High Court over the legality of the prince’s loss of police protection.
According to a report by the Mail on Sunday, a statement made by a legal representative of the prince noted that an official police security detail is needed for the prince, as while “his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not”.
“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life,” the statement read. “He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.”
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK,” it continues. “In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
The Prince’s legal representative went on to emphasise that the royal is willing to pay the costs of such police protection himself, rather than leave the tab for the taxpayer.
Should the prince’s case proceed, it may end up being heard in the UK’s High Court, with the Mail noting that this is the first time a member of the British royal family has launched a legal case against the Queen’s government. The controversy surrounding the potential case will be further heightened in light of Harry’s widely publicised decision to abandon his royal duties in early 2021.
Prince Harry is not the only controversial British royal whose security is leading to political and social controversy.
Calls have emerged for the embattled Prince Andrew to no longer have the costs of his security paid for by the state.
Andrew has been accused of sexual abuse and is now facing civil action in the United States over the issue, though the prince has not been charged with any criminal offences.
The cost of the prince’s security — who has had his military titles and patronages stripped from him by the Queen — may be around £2 million per annum, according to The Guardian.
While both Prince Harry and Andrew have been instructed by the Queen to not use the title “His Royal Highness” publicly, a former minister for the UK’s Home Office and royal author, Norman Baker has claimed they both likely still qualify to spend public funds as they technically remain titleholders.
“[Andrew] has, like Harry, kept his HRH even if he is not using it. But that means he still qualifies to spend public money and qualifies for security,” the former minister said, according to The Guardian.
The minister went on to say that he believes Andrew should have the title stripped outright, along with his Dukedom.
“He is no longer carrying out royal duties, so should have the HRH taken away along with his security,” Baker said.
Prince Harry’s legal challenge is far from the first time he has come into conflict with British institutions, with his wife, Meghan, in particular repeatedly being a source of controversy.
Meghan has previously accused the royal family of racism over alleged concerns regarding how dark the skin colour of their child would be.
The Prince himself, meanwhile, has previously lashed out at the BBC for using the term Megxit, claiming the term which etymologically refers to his wife is “misogynistic” in origin.
Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has previously slammed the Prince’s wife, saying that her actions have disrespected the Queen.
“I think she’s very disrespectful to the Royal Family and most importantly to the Queen,” Trump said in an interview with Nigel Farage. “I’m not a fan of hers. I wasn’t from day one… I think Harry has been used horribly and I think someday he will regret it.”