Prince Harry is facing an estimated £1 million legal bill after losing his High Court case over the decision to downgrade his UK security following his departure from royal duties. The Duke of Sussex, 39, is expected to cover his own legal costs and those of the Home Office unless he succeeds in an appeal.
The Home Office disclosed that its legal fees had reached £407,000 by October last year, before a three-day trial in December. Harry, who hired Schillings International and four barristers, is likely to face even higher costs. This adds to a potential £750,000 bill from dropping a libel claim against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday in January.
The legal action challenged the February 2020 decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) to provide Harry with a different level of taxpayer-funded protection after he ceased to be a full-time working royal. Retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke's case, ruling that Ravec's approach was neither irrational nor procedurally unfair.
Harry's legal team argued he was treated less favourably and that a risk analysis was not applied. However, the judge accepted that the bespoke process devised for him was legally sound. A spokesman for Harry confirmed he will appeal, stating the duke seeks a fair application of Ravec's rules, not preferential treatment.
