Prince Harry Loses Court Battle Over Security Protection

Buckingham Palace has issued a rare statement after Prince Harry lost an appeal Friday to regain taxpayer-funded security in the UK and later told the BBC that he wanted to reconcile with his family.

“All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,” a Palace spokesperson said of the decision to strip Harry of his security detail.

The legal team behind the ruling said it would not be appropriate for Harry to have the publicly-paid-for security since shirking his royal duties.

Harry’s wife Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet, have not been to the UK since the Prince left the Royal Family for Los Angeles in 2020.

Harry admitted after the court loss he “can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

He also said Charles “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff” and that he didn’t know how long his father, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, had left to live.

The palace normally tries to keep family matters under wraps, but it’s occasionally been known to issue statements when allegations emerge that could affect their reputation.

In 2021, the Royal Family issued a statement after Meghan and Harry’s jaw-dropping interview with Oprah, in which Harry claimed a family member had “concerns” about their then-unborn son Archie’s mixed race and how dark his skin might be.

The palace said it was “saddened” by what it heard in the interview, calling the race allegations “concerning.”

“While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately,” it said at the time.

Buckingham Palace also issued a small number of statements in 2020 and 2021 on Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from their Royal duties and move to America.