Prince Harry has won the right to challenge the UK government over his police protection

On Friday, Judge Jonathan Swift granted Prince Harry “leave to seek a judicial review” over a decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) that removed Harry’s automatic right to UK police protection.

Recall that following Prince Harry’s announcement that he would be leaving the Crown in early 2020, the UK’s automatic right to police protection was removed.

With the ruling, Prince Harry’s legal action will now go to a full trial between Harry and the UK government at London’s High Court, an unprecedented situation in modern times.

Understand Prince Harry’s action

Prince Harry’s case is pending in British justice, questioning the outcome of a royal decision to prevent the Metropolitan Police from paying security after the Home Office refused to provide armed police.

Since February of this year, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children, Archie and Lilibet, have been fighting in British justice for the right to protection paid by the United Kingdom when they eventually visit the country.

Harry and Meghan lost government-provided police protection when they stepped down as senior members of the British royal family in early 2020. Harry’s lawyer said he and Meghan wanted to take their children to the UK from time to time, but he also said it was a very risky trip.

The Home Office, for its part, said that “as more information is placed in the public domain about who has public protection, it will be easier for hostile actors to link that information with other public domain material and make inferences made about the level of protection afforded to these individuals and others.”

Harry argues that his American private security team has no foreign jurisdiction or access to UK intelligence, making a family trip to his country too risky.

Harry’s lawyer said the duke wanted to fund his and his family’s defense privately, but the inability of his group to have jurisdiction for more effective action outside the United States left his defense team inadequate.