The Duke of Sussex will argue tomorrow that he was treated unfairly when denied security protection after claiming members of the Royal household should not have been able to influence the process.
Prince Harry is preparing for a three-day High Court battle after winning the right to challenge the Home Office’s decision not to grant him automatic police protection when he is in the UK.
The claim, which will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, comes amid continuing tensions after the King and the Princesses of Wales were named in relation to alleged speculation over the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unborn child.
The hearing will take place as senior aides meet to discuss the issues arising from the claims, made in Endgame, a book about the Royal family written by Omid Scobie a journalist and friend of the duchess.
At a previous High Court hearing in March last year, the Duke’s legal team were warned not to include evidence that was “inadmissible and should be excluded from proceedings” after being told that legal proceedings did not exist “for the purpose of putting irrelevant matters” in the public domain.
The Dutch edition of Mr Scobie’s book, which alleges the King and Princess made remarks about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s child, Archie, has been withdrawn from sale.
The Sussexes have not commented on the claims and sources close to them have repeatedly emphasised they have had nothing to do with Endgame.
At the High Court, the Duke is taking legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) not to afford him the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting Britain.
The decision was made shortly after he announced he was stepping back as a working member of the Royal family to move abroad.
At a hearing in July 2022, it emerged that Sir Edward Young, the late Queen’s assistant private secretary and the Earl of Rosslyn, the Master of Prince Charles’s household, were on the committee.
The Duke argued that Sir Edward should not have been involved in the decision due to “significant tensions” between them.
Shaheed Fatima KC said the Duke should have been given a “clear and full explanation” of Ravec’s composition and it was “procedurally unfair” that he had been “deprived of the opportunity” to make representations to the committee on whether it was appropriate for certain individuals to be involved.
The Duke was cleared to bring the challenge in July 2022 on the grounds he should have been able to make “informed representations” directly to Ravec before the decision was made.
