SAFETY CATCH

Prince Harry Loses Initial Bid to Appeal Personal Security Ruling

Despite the ruling, Harry plans to fight on.

Prince Harry has vowed to fight on, despite having his initial bid to appeal a British high court decision over his level of security while visiting the U.K. tossed out. The Duke of Sussex was ordered Monday to reimburse taxpayers after losing his legal battle against the British Home Office. Harry’s request to pay just 40 per cent of the department’s costs was denied; a judge ordered him to pay 90% of the costs, which The Daily Mail reported could leave the duke with $1 million in legal bills once his own legal costs had been added. The latest court defeat follows Harry losing a February legal challenge against the government’s decision to remove automatic police protection by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec). In court documents released on Monday, Mr. Justice Lane wrote that Harry’s submissions relied upon “a great deal of unsupported speculation.” Lane added: “The reality of the matter is that the claimant considers he should receive a different approach to his protection while in the U.K. than Ravec decided he should, based in part on his comparison of his own position with that of others. Ravec, as an expert body, concluded otherwise. It was entitled to do so.” In response, Harry’s legal team said, “The Duke of Sussex will be seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of Mr. Justice Lane.”