Prince Harry LOSES latest bid over security after being slammed for trying to use Met Police as ‘private bodyguards’
PRINCE Harry has lost his latest legal bid over his security after being slammed for trying to use the Met Police as “private bodyguards for the wealthy”.
The Duke of Sussex had attempted to appeal against a decision not to let him hire armed police bodyguards when he visits the UK.
But the High Court today concluded he could not seek a judicial review over the ruling made in 2020.
Harry is suing the Home Office because it refused to spend taxpayers’ money on bodyguards after he left the royal family.
He wanted to fund his own Met Police armed bodyguards but the Home Office refused.
The High Court heard earlier this month how Harry had brought a case against the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).
His legal team argued he was not given an opportunity to make representations to Ravec before it turned down his offer.
But Metropolitan Police claimed Harry paying for police bodyguards would lead to a two-tier system where the rich and famous fund their own private force.
The force also said it would would divert vital resources from those truly in need.
They concluded Ravec had been “reasonable” in finding “it is wrong for a policing body to place officers in harm’s way upon payment of a fee by a private individual”.
The Sussexes were stripped of their round-the-clock protection when they stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
Harry has moaned he is unable to return with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet, “because it is too dangerous”.
He gets security when he stays at Frogmore Cottage or attends royal events but has to fend for himself if he wants to see friends and visit his UK charities.
A full hearing in Harry’s legal challenge against the Home Office and Ravec’s decision making is yet to be held.