Prince Harry has received a legal boost in Britain after a judge said he can appeal a high court ruling which dismissed his lawsuit against the U.K. government and their decision to remove his full-time state funded bodyguards.
A court order issued on May 23 and published on June 7 has revealed that the prince's legal team have been given the green light to appeal the high court judgment handed down in February, which dismissed Harry's request for a judicial review of the government's security removal.
Harry's legal team initially attempted to appeal the decision earlier this year, which the courts denied in April, along with ordering him to pay 90 percent of the government's costs.
After applying directly to the Court of Appeal last month, Judge David Bean has ruled that it will hear the royal's case, saying that he is persuaded "not without hesitation" that the royal's case could have a "real prospect of success."
Harry's team submitted their appeal on five grounds. Bean granted one, with a partial acceptance of a second.
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry via email for comment.
Harry took legal action against the government's Home Office in 2020 over the decision taken by its Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (known as RAVEC) to reduce his level of state funded protection after he and wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals.
Harry no longer receives round the clock protection from officers of the Metropolitan Police as other members of his family do. Instead, his security requirements are assessed on a case-by-case basis when he visits Britain and are approved by RAVEC.
The prince submitted two requests to Britain's high court for judicial reviews of RAVEC's decision to pull his full-time protection.
One submitted that he should be allowed to personally pay for police bodyguards, and another that RAVEC acted unlawfully in the decision making process by not allowing him to make any representations before drawing their conclusion, and that he was not informed with transparency who was on the committee.
In May 2023, a judge ruled against the payment request, finding that private individuals could not pay for police protection creating a two-tier service.
In February 2024, Judge Peter Lane then ruled against the process issue, finding that RAVEC had acted legally and within its remit when deciding to downgrade the prince's security. This, Harry's legal team has now been given the green light to appeal.
The development is just the latest in the long timeline of public litigation launched by Harry since 2019 in his personal crusade to ensure both the safety of his family and to hold the media to account for unlawful practices.
Part of the prince's determination to have his full-time security in Britain reinstated is driven by a desire to spend more time in the country. Without it, his legal team said in 2021, he does not feel safe traveling to the country with his wife and children.
Speaking to Newsweek of the prince's new legal boost, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said that many people can sympathize with his security concerns.
"I think most people can understand why Harry is so concerned about security. As his memoir Spare made clear, he is still haunted by his mother's tragic death," he said. "There is a threat from right wing extremists to him and his family and also from terrorists. His revelation of the number of Taliban he had personally killed on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan in his memoir, Spare, was highly unwise."
"His attempt to pay for extra police protection whilst in Britain failed in court, but it would have been highly undesirable that a two tier system be created," he continued, going on to note that the legal costs associated with an appeal of the high court judgment will be "substantial."
The timeline for Harry's appeal has not yet been given.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Camilla, William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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