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Revoking Prince Harry’s security protections was “spiteful”, according to the Duke’s friend. Alex Rayner, who was also educated at Eton and went on a charity trek to the North Pole with Prince Harry, claimed that it was unfair given how much Harry had done for the UK, while other royals were still afforded protection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A committee revoked Prince Harry’s<\/a> automatic legal protections afforded to senior members of the Royal Family in 2020, after he left the UK to live in the US with his wife, Meghan Markle.<\/a> The Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which authorises protection for royals on behalf of the Home Office, decided that his security would be decided on a case-by-case basis, meaning the Duke has to inform the UK well in advance of any visits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the Duke of Sussex vehemently disagreed with the decision<\/a>, arguing it put him and his family in danger in a lengthy legal appeal, which was rejected by three senior judges at the Court of Appeal in May 2025 \u2014 a ruling Mr Rayner believes was unfair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Rayner told the Daily Mail<\/a>: “To ask him to pay for it privately feels a tiny bit spiteful, given that there are other members of the Royal Family who receive it who do far less.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “This guy was flying Apaches in a conflict and we\u2019ve got the Invictus Games coming up in Birmingham. Are we not supporting him for that?”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Senior civil servants from the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office were allegedly against granting police protection, fearing backlash from taxpayers about footing the bill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A source told The Telegraph: “There is nervousness among certain members of the committee who fear a public backlash. The political side believes there is too much political risk, while the police and security chiefs believe that he absolutely must have it due to the extant threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Duke revealed his anger at the 2025 appeal decision in a tell-all interview with the BBC<\/a>, describing it as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch up”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He said: “For the time being, it\u2019s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely. I will continue on with a life of public service. So I will always support the charities and the people that mean so much to me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n