British justice on Tuesday rejected Prince Harry’s request to pay with his personal funds for his police protection when he is in the United Kingdom.
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Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, have lost the law enforcement protection afforded to them at the expense of British taxpayers after deciding to step down from the Royal Family in 2020.
The “Sussex”, who are installed with their two children in California, benefit from private protection in the United States. But Harry argues that this security team cannot have access to the intelligence needed to be able to keep his family safe on British soil.
Harry therefore offered to bear the costs of his security by the police and asked to seize the High Court in order to contest the refusal which was opposed to him by the Ministry of the Interior.
But on Tuesday, a judge closed the door to a trial, rejecting the prince’s arguments on several points.
At a hearing in mid-May, the Home Office argued that it was “not appropriate” for wealthy people to “buy” protection which could include armed officers when it was decided that “ the public interest does not justify” that they receive protection on the basis of public funding.
This appeal from Harry was the second regarding his safety. The other case is still ongoing.
The question of his safety was brought back to the fore in mid-May, when the prince and his wife were chased by car in New York by paparazzi.
The incident gave rise to divergent versions, but a source close to the couple claimed that the outcome of this “chase” could have been “fatal”.
Harry accuses the press and paparazzi of having caused the car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997 which killed his mother, Lady Di.
The prince is also leading a legal offensive against several tabloids. He is expected to testify in person in June, according to the British press.