London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Prince Harry says UK still his home as he bids for police security on visits

Prince Harry says UK still his home as he bids for police security on visits

Lawyers for Prince Harry say the UK will always be his home, amid a row over whether he can have police security when he visits from the USA.

In a first hearing of his action against the home secretary, lawyers told the High Court he didn't feel safe visiting under current arrangements.

He wants to pay for police security for himself and his family while in the UK.

Government lawyers said his offer was "irrelevant" to how officials took decisions over Royal Family security.

During Friday's hearing, which was focused on what parts of the case should be kept confidential, Prince Harry's barrister Shaheed Fatima QC said his ties to the UK remained strong.

"It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart," said Ms Fatima.

"Most of all, this is and always will be his home."

But she said that he did not feel safe in the UK, under the type of security arrangements that had been in place when he visited last summer.

The prince returned briefly in June and July 2021 for the unveiling of a memorial statue to his mother. He also attended a garden party for seriously-ill children and young people, as a patron of the charity Wellchild.

According to some reports, his car was chased by photographers as he left the event. Prince Harry's legal action began in the wake of that visit and following correspondence with the Home Office.

Decisions over Prince Harry's personal security in the UK are taken by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, also known as Ravec.

This secret body answering to the home secretary is responsible for deciding who should be protected by the police - and how much they need.

Details of its work are never made public to prevent potential attackers learning more about the protective measures it places around public figures.

According to court papers, after Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, stepped back from public life as working members of the Royal Family and moved to the USA in 2020, Ravec placed him in an "exceptional category", meaning his future police protection in the UK would depend on the specific circumstances of each visit.

In his claim, Prince Harry says that Ravec reached this decision unlawfully and unreasonably - including because he has offered to pay for the police time needed and was still in the immediate line of succession to the throne.

He further argues that his private protection team do not have all the powers they would need to act in the UK, including access to police intelligence about threats to him and his family.

Prince Harry briefly visited the UK in July 2021, when he and the Duke of Cambridge unveiled a statue to his mother


But in written submissions to the court, lawyers for the Home Secretary said that Prince Harry's claim was completely without merit - and it should be thrown out because it wasn't for the court to second-guess complex decisions about personal security.

Robert Palmer QC, for the Home Secretary, wrote: "The claimant has failed to afford the necessary measure of respect to the defendant and Ravec as the expert, and democratically accountable, decision-maker on matters of protective security and associated risk assessment.

"It is the role of Ravec to consider whether an individual such as the claimant falls within its cohort qualifying for publicly funded personal protection security at all and if so, the extent to which any such protection security should be provided," said Robert Palmer QC, for the Home Secretary.

"The claimant's grounds... rely upon a set of circumstance which the claimant considers are sufficient to warrant his receiving personal protective security by the police for life, regardless of what, if any, duties he carries out on behalf of the state."

Mr Palmer said the offer to pay for the police's protection was irrelevant because personal protective security by the police "is not available on a privately financed basis".

Mr Justice Swift will rule at a later date on what parts of the case will become public, before a subsequent decision on whether the claim will be heard in full.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×