(WatchDogReport.org) – A judge has ruled in London that Prince Harry was not unfairly stripped of his security detail, which was funded by the public, during a visit to the UK after he gave up his royal status. The Duke of Sussex has lost the High Court challenge against the UK government having contested the decision to downgrade his security status during the visit in February 2020.
The prince argued that he was unfairly treated by the changes while still facing significant security risks. The 39-year-old son of King Charles III broke from the royal traditions of the Windsor family in his eagerness to go to court to challenge the government. He has also taken on the tabloids in an attempt to hold them responsible for harassing him over the years.
The lawsuit in question was one of six cases that Harry took to the High Court. Three were concerning security issues and the other three related to tabloids that allegedly hacked telephones and employed private investigators to invade the prince’s privacy. In December 2023 Harry won a court case against the Daily Mirror and received substantial damages over phone hacking carried out by the left-leaning tabloid. The prince called it a “great day for truth” after the verdict. In Harry’s case, the judge ruled it was impossible that Piers Morgan, who was editor for the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, could have been unaware of the phone hacking. Piers Morgan denied the claims and accused Harry and his wife Megan of trying to destroy the monarchy.
In his less successful lawsuit against the government, the prince claimed that he and his wife were in danger when they visited the country due to the actions of the media and hostility on social media. He argued that the government group assessing his requirements had violated its policies. A lawyer for the government concluded that Harry had been fairly treated and was still granted protection on several visits after he renounced his royal role and duties. Harry withdrew his libel case against the Daily Mail over a February 2022 article that claimed he tried to hide his reliance on state-funded security after a judge concluded that he was likely to lose. The prince also failed to convince a judge in 2023 to let him privately hire the police. The judge told Harry that the police were not a “private bodyguard” for the rich.
Copyright 2024, WatchDogReport.org
