London: Prince Harry made a rare public appearance in Britain at London’s Royal Courts of Justice to fight the government over changes made to his security after he stepped down from royal duties, which his lawyer branded unjustified.
Harry, King Charles’ younger son, is trying to overturn a decision by the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – which decided in February 2020 he would not automatically receive personal police security while in Britain.
Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday.Credit: AP
Last year, the High Court in London ruled the decision was lawful, but the Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers.
He arrived smiling and waving on Tuesday, local time, for the two-day hearing.
His lawyer Shaheed Fatima, KC, told the court the agency that protects royal and public figures had treated Harry, the Duke of Sussex, on a “bespoke” basis not applied to anyone else.
“It means he has been singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment,” she said, saying he was not seeking to be treated as he was when a working member of the royal family.
A court sketch showing Prince Harry, left, watching on as his lawyer Shaheed Fatima, KC, addressed the court on Tuesday.Credit: Illustration: Elizabeth Cook//PA via AP
The prince, 40, listened intently as the packed courtroom heard mainly technical legal submissions.
In written submissions, Harry’s lawyers said al-Qaeda had recently called for him to be murdered, and he and his American wife Meghan had been involved in “a dangerous car pursuit with paparazzi in New York City” in 2023.
