London Judge allows Prince Harry to sue the UK government over security plan

Meghan and Harry during a walkabout at Edinburgh castle in 2018. Security provision was one of the key issues for the couple when they announced they were stepping down as working royals. (Photo: Reuters)

On Friday, a judge in London determined that Prince Harry could sue the British government over his security arrangements in the United Kingdom. Harry and Meghan lost publicly paid U.K. police protection in 2020 when they resigned as senior working royals and relocated to North America.

The prince wishes to pay for his police protection when he visits the United Kingdom and is fighting the government's reluctance to allow it.

Friday, Judge Jonathan Swift determined that the matter could proceed to a full hearing in London's High Court. He rejected many portions of the appeal but acknowledged that specific reasons "give rise to an arguable case" that merits a hearing.

" The court stated, "a conclusion at the permission stage that a case is arguable is some distance from a conclusion that the case will succeed at the final hearing." the court stated.

The matter has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

Harry and the former actress Meghan Markle wed at Windsor Castle in 2019 but resigned from their positions as working royals the following year, alleging the British media's intolerable intrusions and racist attitudes.

According to his attorneys, the prince is hesitant to send the couple's children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, to his motherland because of safety concerns.

Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, wants to be allowed to pay for the protection, claiming that his private security team in the United States lacks sufficient jurisdiction abroad and access to U.K. intelligence information.

His attorneys also contend that the February 2020 decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures to remove Harry's complete royal protection was arbitrary because he was not permitted to make "informed representations beforehand."

The British government asserts that the committee's finding was justified and that private payment for police protection is not viable.

Publish : 2022-07-22 18:51:00

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