Prince Harry's Legal Bid to Pay for His Own Police Protection in the U.K. Has Been Denied

Now more than ever, security is a necessity for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their family, however, a British court just declined the duke's legal bid to pay for his own police protection when he travels across the pond. On Tuesday, the High Court in London and Judge Mr. Justice Chamberlain denied Harry the opportunity to "seek a judicial review" of the decision to revoke their police detail while in the U.K., according to People.

Harry initially filed a claim against the U.K. Home Office in September 2021, after his and Meghan's police protection was removed in their relocation to California, where they no longer paid British taxes. During a visit to England in July 2021 (Harry joined his family to unveil a statue of his late mother Princess Diana), the Duke of Sussex's security was "compromised due to the absence of police protection."

"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 U.K.," a family representative told The Guardian at the time. "In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home."

"The Duke first offered to pay personally for U.K. police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020 at Sandringham. That offer was dismissed," the spokesperson added. "He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer. As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them. The goal for Prince Harry has been simple — to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the U.K. so his children can know his home country."

This legal decision comes less than a week after Harry, Meghan, and her mother Doria Ragland were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase" with papparazzi. According to a statement obtained by CNN, the incident lasted over "two hours,"

“Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the statement read. “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

The family concluded, “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved."

According to The Times, friends of Harry said this was the "closest" the duke has come to understanding his mother Diana's 1997 death.