In a ruling handed down by the United Kingdom’s High Court earlier this week, Prince Harry lost his case arguing for police protection when he is back in his home country. He plans to appeal the decision.
A legal spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said, “The Duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis [that working members of the British royal family receive].”
Buried in the 51-page ruling (which you can read here) were details about Harry and Duchess Meghan’s visit to New York City in May 2023, including the New York Police Department’s finding that the couple was, in fact, endangered during a chase by paparazzi. But also of note in the document are details surrounding all of Harry’s trips to the U.K. since he and Meghan relocated to California, including their trip in September 2022—which was initially to “visit with several charities close to their hearts,” but turned into a much longer stay following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The ruling reveals that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hoped to bring their two children, Archie and Lilibet, along with them for the trip, but the decisions RAVEC made prevented them in doing so. (RAVEC stands for the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, and coordinates security between the Royal Household, the Metropolitan Police, and the Home Office.)
The Sussexes in Windsor, June 2022.
On page 24, the document reads: “The Home Office had been notified on 3 August 2022 that the claimant and his wife and children would be visiting the United Kingdom between 2 and 11 September 2022. The itinerary did not [redacted text]. On 10 August 2022, RAVEC met to decide what protective security, if any, should be provided. A letter outlining RAVEC’s decision was sent to the Private Secretary to the Sovereign, since the request for protective security had come through the Royal Household. The letter of 12 August was from the Chair of RAVEC to Sir Edward Young. It explained that [redacted text].”
In response, Prince Harry and Meghan’s team “wrote to say that the proposed security arrangements for the September visit were not lawful and that [redacted text] was plainly inadequate.”
Reading between the lines, the security was not adequate enough for the Sussexes to bring their children, which ultimately meant they traveled to the UK sans Archie and Lilibet. This goes back to Prince Harry’s original case to review his police protection, wherein his spokesperson said, “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. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
Since moving to California, Meghan and Harry have only brought their kids to the UK once, in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. During that visit they celebrated Lili’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. This trip is not referred to in the document.
