UPDATE, 5/2/25 at 4:28 p.m. ET:
Prince Harry reacted to his legal loss hours after the news went public.
Harry, 40, started out by thanking his legal team and the judges in the lengthy statement released via his and wife Meghan Markle’s official website.
From our partners:
“This process has only ever been about ensuring my safety and that of my immediate family when we are in the United Kingdom, so that we may safely visit my home country with the same level of security that other governments deem necessary for our protection,” he wrote, in part. “My ask has been simple: that the standard protocols for security and risk assessments be applied to me in the same way they are to others — including people who have never carried out any public functions on behalf of the State.”
Harry noted that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) “failed to follow its own mandated processes” for him and his family.
“Given my profound concerns over this issue, I will be writing the Home Secretary to ask her to urgently examine the matter and review the RAVEC process,” he continued. “This legal action has been a last resort, but one that has uncovered shocking truths, starting with the fact that the Royal Household are key decision-makers on RAVEC and my sole representation for matters regarding my safety.”
Harry noted that he “has learned the names” of those involved with this decision making. The Duke of Sussex also stated that RAVEC can call for an assessment at “any point” but hasn’t.
“The only possible conclusion that can be drawn is they choose not to, because they know the outcome would prove that my security should never have been removed in the first place,” he added, noting elsewhere that a “basic duty of care” had not been applied to him in this situation.
“It’s true that I have been treated as an exception on this issue. The conditions of my security were not made based on threat, risk, and impact, they were made based on my role — one that my wife and I wanted to maintain, but that was ultimately refused,” he added. “The court has decided to defer to this, revealing a sad truth: my hands are tied in seeking legal recourse against the establishment.”
Concluding his message, Harry noted that he “only ever” wanted to continue his charitable work in the U.K. “This has been and will always be, my life’s work, and when you strip away the noise, you’ll be able to hear, all I’ve been asking for is safety.”
Read the full statement on Harry and Meghan’s website.
Original story continues below:
Prince Harry just experienced a major legal loss.
Harry, 40, lost his appeal in the ongoing battle to reinstate government-funded security in the U.K. on Friday, May 2. Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos dismissed the appeal, noting that two other judges agreed with his decision.
“The Duke was, in effect, stepping in and out of the cohort of protection provided by RAVEC [the government’s Royal and VIP Executive Committee],” the judge said in his decision on Friday, according to multiple outlets. “Outside the U.K., he was outside the cohort, but when in the U.K., his security would be considered as appropriate depending on the circumstances. It was impossible, I said in my judgment, to say that this reasoning was illogical or inappropriate. Indeed, it seemed sensible.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the Duke of Sussex for comment.
Prince Harry Plans Appeal After Losing Fight for U.K. Police Protection
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, lost their security detail after they stepped down from their royal duties and moved out of the U.K. in 2020. The couple’s security measures have been decided on a case-by-case basis since their move to the United States.
The Duke of Sussex spent two days at London’s Royal Courts of Justice last month to appeal a decision made that same year, stating that he and Meghan, 43, would no longer receive state-funded protection. (Harry initially lost the case in February 2024.)
While in the U.K. on April 8 and 9 to appear in court, Harry spoke with The Telegraph, stating that the entire ordeal was “difficult to swallow.” He also hinted that the security issue stems from ongoing tension with his father, King Charles III.
Harry told People on April 9 he was “exhausted and overwhelmed,” over the court case, adding that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure.”
King Charles Could End Up in the Middle of Prince Harry’s Court Battle
A source told Us exclusively late last month that the ongoing legal drama has caused the rift between Harry and Charles, 76, to deepen.
“This has been terrible for Harry’s relationship with Charles,” an insider said. “Harry blames Charles and thinks he can intervene. But [Charles] can’t, and it just continues Harry’s narrative that he’s been cast out.”
The same source added: “Prince Harry doesn’t seem to understand that Charles can’t get involved in the decision about his security, but he still blames him. Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals, so they don’t get royal protection anymore. It’s the British public paying for this, so there’s no leeway here.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams cosigned this sentiment.
“Charles is not answering Harry’s messages,” Fitzwilliams told Us. “At the moment, Harry does not seem to have a relationship with his father at all. It’s truly sad.”
Us Weekly
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