Prince Harry has won a bid to review the Home Office’s ruling over his and his family's security arrangements in the United Kingdom.
The judgment, coming from the High Court, surfaced on Friday. The High Court judge granted the Duke of Sussex permission for part of his claim to have a judicial review over the decision of the Home Office, not allowing him to personally pay for police protection for himself and his family when in the United Kingdom.
Express UK quoted Mr. Justice Swift, saying, “The application for permission to apply for judicial review is allowed in part and refused in part.”
Prince Harry’s claim for a judicial review was filed in September, according to People. But, the public did not know about the matter until a story was published in a UK tabloid in January 2022.
In response to the reports, a legal spokesperson for the royal-born Prince released an official statement, noting that it was “necessary” to set the facts straight regarding the matter.
The magazine quoted the spokesperson, writing, “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 while in the [United Kingdom].” It continues, “In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
Elsewhere in the statement, the spokesperson explained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their taxpayer-funded security after stepping back from their royal posts earlier in 2020.
This reportedly resulted in the royal-born Prince offering to personally pay for security for himself and his family, specifically during a visit to Sandringham in January of the same year.
The spokesperson continued that the offer was rejected, but Prince Harry “remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer.”
During a preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, taking place in February 2022, about a month after the news broke, the Duke of Sussex’s attorney, Shaheed Fatima, asserted that he “does not feel safe” flying back to his home country, along with his two children.
Us Weekly quoted the lawyer, arguing, “...It should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home.”
Earlier in July, in the first stage of the case, the royal-born Prince’s legal camp asked Mr. Justice Swift to grant permission to have a judge review the decision of the Home Office.