Prince Harry has said it is ‘impossible’ to bring Meghan Markle and his children back to the UK after losing a legal challenge over the withdrawal of his security detail.
His barrister argued that the removal of Met Police armed bodyguards when he is in his native country has left the royal’s life ‘at stake’.
However, the court found that his ‘grievance’ over downgraded security had not ‘translated into a legal argument’ to successfully challenge the decision.
Speaking after the ruling, the Duke of Sussex said: ‘Obviously pretty gutted about the decision. We thought it was going to go our way.
‘But its certainly is proven that there is no way to win this through the courts, which someone had told me about beforehand. The decision has been a surprise as well as not a surprise.
‘For the time being it’s impossible for me to bring my family back to the UK.’
Harry said that on the occasions he has ventured back to the UK since the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided he would no longer receive full protection when in the country, he felt that he was ‘putting myself at risk’.
He added: ‘The only time I have come back to the UK is sadly for funerals or court cases, and with the odd charitable function where I can in-between that, and I put myself at risk for that, but I will continue on with a life of public service, and I will always support the charities and the people who mean so much to me.
The Duke of Sussex at the Royal Courts of Justice on April 8 during his appeal against a High Court ruling preventing him getting automatic taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK. It was taken away following Megxit
Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, pictured today as he rejected Harry’s appeal
The Duke of Sussex’s appeal against the dismissal of his legal challenge over the level of protection he and his family (pictured together at Christmas) is about his family’s right to security and safety, the court heard. Today’s ruling raises more questions over whether the Sussexes will visit Britain again
‘I can’t see a world in which I will be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point and the things they are going to miss is everything. I love my country and always have done.
‘Despite what some people in that country have done. So I miss the UK. I miss parts of the UK. Of course I do. I think it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.’
Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls said in his ruling this afternoon in London that Ravec’s decision ‘were taken as an understandable, and perhaps predictable, reaction to the claimant having stepped back from royal duties and having left the UK to live principally overseas’.
‘These were powerful and moving arguments and that it was plain the Duke of Sussex felt badly treated by the system’, he said.
‘But I concluded, having studied the detail, I could not say that the Duke’s sense of grievance translated into a legal argument to challenge RAVEC’s decision’.
Sir Geoffrey said Harry ‘makes the mistake of confusing superficial analogies’ when comparing himself with other VIPs which had ‘added nothing’ to the legal question.
He added: ‘My conclusion was that the Duke of Sussex’s appeal would be dismissed’.
