Secret cost of Prince Harry’s security court case for UK taxpayers

The Duke of Sussex faces a hefty legal bill…

Prince Harry was given a crushing verdict after the decision of his security court case – but the cost of the five-year battle for the UK taxpayer is much higher than originally reported.

The Duke of Sussex had appealed the decision for less taxpayer-funded police protection when visiting Britain. The royal believes he was “singled out” and “badly treated” for his security being downgraded when he and wife Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of The Firm in 2020.

However, he lost his battle for taxpayer-funded armed police and bodyguards for when he visits the UK. Instead, the amount of security that will be in place for Prince Harry and his family, will still be decided on a case-by-case basis.

After fighting the case for five years, how much has Prince Harry’s court case for extra security cost the UK taxpayer so far?
The royal wants the same level of security from when he worked for The Firm (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

Prince Harry security court case verdict

The dad-of-two was told by Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos in his ruling that the decision to downgrade his full-time protection was “sensible”.

Harry, who settled in his new life with wife Meghan and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, argued through his barrister that his life was “at stake” when the armed bodyguards were removed.

The 40-year-old fought the dismissal of the High Court claim against the Home Office over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that his security should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and be downgraded compared to full time and working members of the royal family.

The judge said that Ravec’s decision “were taken as an understandable, and perhaps predictable, reaction to the claimant having stepped back from royal duties and having left the UK to live principally overseas”.

He did add that Harry’s “powerful and moving arguments” showed he felt he was “badly treated by the system”. However, he “could not say that the Duke’s sense of grievance translated into a legal argument to challenge RAVEC’s decision”.
Prince Harry has lost his appeal for more security in his recent court case (Credit: Cover Images)
 

What does this mean for the Duke of Sussex’s security?

As it stands, the court case verdict means security details and armed police bodyguards from Metropolitan Police – paid for by the UK taxpayer – will not be automatically reinstated for Prince Harry, Meghan or their children.

Each time they visit Britain, Ravec will assess the level of threat, danger and security needed.

This isn’t the end of line for the royal, if he wants to push further, he can apply for an appeal to the Supreme Court if he wants to continue his fight. This is his last option if he wants his security status restored to when he was a full-time working royal. However, he said in an interview hours after the verdict that he won’t be pursuing the matter any further.
The Duke of Sussex could still appeal to the Supreme Court (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

How much has Prince Harry court case cost the taxpayer?

The 40-year-old’s failed court case has cost the taxpayer more than £656,000 so far, documents seen by Royal Insider can reveal.

At the time of the appeal last month, Home Office officials and lawyers paid £514,128 battling two judicial reviews brought by Prince Harry over his security status. This figure was before his recent appeal, meaning the new figure is much higher.

However, new dada has revealed another £150,000 has been billed on top of this – and it could be even higher for any costs that have not yet been captured.

Documents from a Freedom of Information request detailed it cost the Government Legal Department (GLD) £379,877 and £14,393 for the two judicial proceedings. This does not include a further £228,627 and £12,864 for counsel for both hearings. Whereas, court fees have cost the Home Office £3,817 so far, as well as another £15,399 for the disclosure of documents.

The first judicial review regarding provision of protective security cost £629,066.88 and the second regarding privately funding police protective security £27,257.53. In total, Prince Harry’s court cases cost the UK taxpayer £656,324.40.

However, the final figure is believed to be much higher if any unclaimed costs are reported, plus the cost of the April appeal, which have not been totalled yet.
Prince Harry’s two previous court cases over his security cost the taxpayer £500k (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

Prince Harry’s hefty legal bill

The Home Secretary is calling for Prince Harry to pay all costs for the security court case – for both sides – so none of the bill is footed by the UK taxpayer.

At the moment, it is said to be approaching £1.5 million, according to reports.

A Home Office spokesperson said last month: “We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the Government’s position in this case.

“The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.

“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”