Prince Harry may have to pay an estimated £1 million in legal fees to the opposite party after he lost in his High Court security case against the Home Office over a decision to downgrade his tax-payer funded security.
The Duke of Sussex had taken legal action against the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, otherwise known as RAVEC, over its decision that he would no longer receive the "same degree" of protection granted to working members of the royal family when he is in the U.K.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. That same year on Feb. 28, it was decided that they would be stripped of their police protection while in Britain.
The Duke of Sussex took RAVEC's decision to the High Court, asking for a judicial review as he felt that he was "singled out" and treated "less favourably". Following a hearing last year in December, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane gave his decision on Feb. 28, and denied the royal's request as "the court has found that there has not been any unlawfulness in reaching the decision".
"Any departure from policy was justified. The decision was not irrational. The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness," reads the decision summary provided by the Daily Mail.
The statement continued: "Even if such procedural unfairness occurred, the court would in any event be prevented from granting the claimant relief. This is because, leaving aside any such unlawfulness, it is highly likely that the outcome for the claimant would not have been substantially different. The court has also found that there has been no unlawfulness on the part of Ravec in respect of its arrangements for certain of the claimant's visits to Great Britain, following the decision of February 28, 2020."
Prince Harry potentially faces a large bill to reimburse the legal fees incurred in his case following his defeat. The Home Office had revealed that it had already spent £407,827 in legal fees as of October 2023.
Meanwhile, the Government Legal Department reported a cost of £265,437 and counsel at £137,864. While the final figure has yet to be confirmed, former royal head of protection Dai Davies said the duke's security case against the Home Office could cost taxpayers £1 million.
Moreover, the duke must pay his legal team: law firm Schillings International and the four barristers who assisted him in the case. Losing a High Court case reportedly normally requires the losing party to pay both sides and now Prince Harry is hoping to bring his case to the Court of Appeal.
His spokesman said in a statement: "The Duke of Sussex will appeal today's judgment which refuses his judicial review claim against the decision-making body Ravec, which includes the Home Office, the royal household and the Met Police. Although these are not labels used by Ravec, three categories - as revealed during the litigation - comprise the 'Ravec cohort': the role based category, the occasional category and the other VIP category. "
Prince Harry "is not asking for preferential treatment but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec's own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec's own written policy", the representative said, adding: "In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis. The duke's case is that the so-called 'bespoke process' that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis." The spokesperson said he hopes to "obtain justice from the Court of Appeal" and will not make any further comments as the case is ongoing.
