The tense battle between Prince Harry and the Home Office over his UK security could cost taxpayers £1 million. The Duke of Sussex is back in the High Court for a three-day judicial review of his protection in Britain being scaled back.
The royal family’s former head of security, Dai Davies, has said the court case “is going to cost you and I about £1m by the time it’s finished”.
He told GB News: “The truth is, (Harry) actually gets protection every time (he’s in the UK), anything to do with royals – and he’s here as a Prince – yes, of course he gets it. What he wants is armed protection when he comes here and has done for a number of years.”
Davies added that the Duke of Sussex has personal security, telling viewers: “He brings his own protection teams who are not armed, but a number of them are former royalty protection officers.
“If there’s a threat, if there’s any kind of issue, he will be afforded the protection he wants. This is a storm in the cup and it’s going to cost you and I about £1m.”
Prince Harry is challenging an order by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee from 2020 which scaled back his protection after he and Meghan Markle stepped back as senior royals and moved to California. Last month, a Freedom of Information request revealed that the Home Office has spent £407,827 on legal fees since Harry’s case started.
His legal team has argued that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been treated unfairly since it was ruled they wouldn’t receive the “same degree” of protection when visiting the UK. While his counsel has claimed Harry was not allowed to make proper representations to RAVEC before his security was rolled back.
Harry’s barrister Shaheed Fatima KC told the High Court on December 5: “The claimant’s consistent position has been, and remains, that he should be given state security in light of the threats/risks he faces.”
The cost of the royal family’s security is secret on grounds of national security – but estimates of the cost to the taxpayer range from between several million pounds to as much as £100m, according to the Institute for Government think tank.
