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Celebrity

06th Dec 2023

Prince Harry claims he was ‘treated less favourably’ over loss of police protection

Anna Martin

prince harry meghan markle

Prince Harry probably won’t be getting a Christmas card from the royals

The Duke of Sussex has claimed that he was treated “unjustifiably” and “less favourably than others,” when his police protection was withdrawn.

The shocking statement was heard in a UK court as Harry has been taking legal action against the Home Office over a decision in February 2020 that meant he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting.

Prince Harry told a senior civil servant that it should not be relevant if he was working for the royal family or even if he was in Britain, as he and Meghan still faced a potential threat.

prince harry
Credit: Getty

Lawyers for the father of two told the court he should have been entitled to taxpayer-funded police protection because he remained in the line of succession to the throne, and was “a prince of the realm”.

Barrister Shaheed Fatima said it was the first time such a decision had been taken without analysis by the Risk Management Board, and claimed Harry was effectively “singled out”.

She said Harry’s position is “that he should be given state security in light of the threats/risks he faces,” arguing he has “unjustifiably, being treated less favourably than others” in written submissions, which have been heavily redacted.

The barrister explained that Harry is asking the court to be treated in the way Ravec “has treated other people”, she said, arguing that Ravec had chosen “not to follow its own written policy”.

prince harry meghan markle
Credit: Getty

The prince is not attending the hearing at the High Court, where much of the case will be heard in private over the next three days, with a decision expected at a later date.

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