Prince Harry awaits judge’s decision on his legal action against Home Office

Prince Harry, who was not present in court, is said to be awaiting a judge’s ruling on his legal action against the UK’s Home Office after a two-and-half-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice concluded on Thursday.

Harry’s witness statement was read at the last day of the hearing. Justice Lane will give his verdict over the case at a later date.

The Duke of Sussex’s legal team is challenging the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) to change the degree of his publicly funded security, arguing it was ‘unlawful and unfair’. Justice Lane is set to give his verdict over the case at a later date.

The majority of the proceedings were held in private, without the public or press present, due to confidential evidence over security measures being involved in the case.

Harry, who relocated to Montecito with his family after stepping back as senior royal in January 2020, claims his wife and children can’t ‘feel at home’ in the UK if it is ‘not possible to keep them safe’.

The lawyer read out an excerpt from the duke’s statement in which he said: ‘It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.

‘The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.

‘I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.’