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Prince Harry has officially lost his legal battle to reinstate state-funded security during his visits to the UK, marking the end of a long-standing fight that the Duke of Sussex called “a matter of life and death.”
On May 2, Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos dismissed Harry’s final appeal, with two other judges in agreement. The ruling emphasized that since Harry is no longer a working royal and resides abroad, he no longer falls under the core group eligible for automatic, taxpayer-funded protection via RAVEC (the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures).
Vos explained that the Duke’s status outside the UK and the royal workforce made it “sensible” that he wouldn’t qualify for round-the-clock state security. However, temporary protection may still be provided based on specific circumstances during his UK visits.
Harry attended the appeal hearing personally in April, flying in from California for the two-day session at the Royal Courts of Justice. He has been vocal about feeling “exhausted and overwhelmed” by the ordeal. His legal team framed the case as a fight to protect his family — wife Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
“This one has always mattered the most,” Harry said in an earlier statement, expressing how the verdict represented the safety of his loved ones and his “worst fears” about being exposed without protection.
Hopes for family support from King Charles did not materialize. A Palace insider confirmed that there’s still a rift between father and son, with “no rapprochement” in sight.
The ruling follows Harry’s February 2024 loss in a previous case against RAVEC and appears to close the chapter on his efforts to regain royal-level protection in the UK.