Prince Harry's U.K. security court case against the Home Office has cost taxpayers more than £500,000 (approximately $630,000). In February, the Duke of Sussex lost his High Court battle against the Home Office, in which he sought a different level of protection while in the U.K.
According to figures released under a Freedom of Information request, the prince's two separate judicial review claims cost £514,128 in total. This cost to British taxpayers will likely raise concerns about Royal Family members filing lawsuits against the government.
The ruling also left Prince Harry with an estimated legal bill of more than £1 million. The Telegraph reported figures of more than £180,000 (approximately $227,388) for counsel, £320,000 (approximately $404,220 ) for the Government Legal Department, £2,300 (approximately $2,905) in court fees, and nearly £10,000 (approximately $12,629) in e-disclosure.
The court determined that there was no unlawfulness in reaching the February 28, 2020, decision and that any departure from policy was justified.
The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided in 2020 that Prince Harry should receive a different level of protection in the U.K. than when he was a working royal. In May 2023, the duke was denied the right to file a second legal challenge despite offering to pay for his own protection in the U.K.
Prince Harry claimed that removing guaranteed police protection makes him and his family vulnerable when visiting the U.K. The husband of Meghan Markle must provide 30 days' notice of any travel plans to Britain to evaluate each visit on its merits.
"We are pleased that the Court has found in favour of the Government’s position in this case, and we are carefully considering our next steps. It would be inappropriate to comment further,” a spokesperson for the Home Office said in February, GB News reported.
“The U.K. 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,” it added.
Prince Harry has announced that he intends to appeal the ruling, which will most likely result in additional costs for taxpayers. The news came as the prince is named in U.S. court documents involving the rapper P Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs.
The court documents filed in the United States state that guests were drawn to Combs' alleged sex-trafficking parties because of his "access to celebrities and international dignitaries, including Prince Harry."
These court documents make no mention of Prince Harry's wrongdoing. He is only known to have met Combs once and never attended any of his parties or concerts.
A record producer, Rodney Jones, has accused Combs of a series of sexual assault allegations. Combs’s lawyers have denied these claims. "We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies,” they said to Newsweek.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry is also taking separate legal action against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, as well as Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
In January, it was revealed that the Duke faced a legal bill of around £750,000 after dropping a libel claim against the Mail on Sunday over an article about his demand for taxpayer-funded security.
The following month, he settled for "substantial" damages to end his four-year legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers rather than pursuing a second phone hacking trial.
