The Duke of Sussex has lost his initial bid to appeal against a High Court ruling dismissing his challenge over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK, a judicial spokesperson has said.
Prince Harry, 39, who now resides in Montecito, California, took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.
In a judgment in February, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the Duke's case and concluded Ravec's approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.
A legal spokesman for Harry said after February's ruling that he will appeal, adding: "The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec's own rules."
At a hearing in December, Harry's lawyers read out an excerpt from an emotional written witness statement in which the Duke explained why he and his wife, Meghan Markle, felt they had to move to the US after stepping back as senior royals in 2020.
Harry 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."
The Duke is still able to ask the Court of Appeal directly for the green light to challenge Sir Peter's decision.