Key takeaways:
- The High Court in London ruled against Prince Harry in his efforts to challenge the British government’s decision not to allow him to pay for specialist police officers.
- The court rejected the Duke of Sussex’s assertion that the British government exceeded its authority when it denied him the right to hire police to provide security in the U.K.
- This ruling serves as a reminder that the government will not allow the hiring of police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.
Prince Harry has lost a legal battle to pay for police protection when he visits Britain. On Tuesday, the High Court in London ruled against the Duke of Sussex in his efforts to challenge the British government’s decision not to allow him to pay for the specialist police officers himself.
The decision to strip him of publicly-funded protection was taken by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, after Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan stepped down from their official roles in 2020 to move to the United States.
In court, a lawyer for the government argued that it should not allow hiring of “police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.” The High Court judge rejected the Duke of Sussex’s assertion that the British government exceeded its authority when it denied him the right to hire police to provide security in the U.K.
The court’s decision comes after it had already agreed last year that Prince Harry should be allowed to challenge the original decision to end the protection. Prince Harry has not yet commented on the ruling.
The British government has not yet commented on the ruling either, but it is likely to be welcomed by those who oppose the idea of allowing wealthy individuals to pay for police protection. This ruling serves as a reminder that the government will not allow the hiring of police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.
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