the times | Monday February 21 2022 21
News
The Duke of Sussex tried to keep details
of his legal battle to reinstate his police
protection private, it was reported
yesterday. Prince Harry has launched a
claim against a decision not to allow
him to fund police protection for
himself when he is in the UK.
Harry lost his taxpayer-funded
Metropolitan Police officers when he
moved to America in 2020 as he and the
Duchess of Sussex quit their roles as
working members of the royal family.
High Court documents obtained by
The Mail on Sunday show that he sought
a confidentiality order on documents
and witness statements about his case.
However, the Home Office argued:
“There must be a sufficiently good
reason, in the wider public interest, to
justify the departure from open justice
that such an order involves.”
Both sides later agreed that some
details would be made public, with the
government agreeing to carry out a
“confidentiality exercise” to determine
what would be kept private even if it
caused “an unprecedented expenditure
of time and resources”.
The documents suggested that there
was no initial offer to pay for protection
in the duke’s “pre-action” letters to the
Home Office. The papers show that
Harry still maintains “exceptional
status”, which means that he could be
afforded protection depending on the
nature of his visits, assessed on a “case-Harry ‘tried to keep
court battle secret’
Neil Johnston by-case basis”. It is understood Harry
challenges the accuracy of the report.
His initial attempt to get the decision
by the royal and VIP executive commit-
tee (Ravec) overturned did not mention
that the duke was willing to pay for his
protection. Court documents say that
Harry’s offer to pay “notably was not
advanced to Ravec in June 2021 or in
any of the pre-action correspondence”.
Harry was criticised over the confu-
sion about whether he would pay.
David McClure, author of a book on the
royal family, tweeted: “Once more con-
fusion about the accuracy of messages
coming out of the Sussex camp.”
Norman Baker, a former crime
prevention minister, said: “The police
are not a commodity to buy like a pack
of biscuits,” he said. “If Harry has con-
cerns about a specific threat, he should
share those with the police. Otherwise,
it is open to him to engage security staff
on any visits.”
Robert Palmer QC, for the Home
Office, has said that if Harry loses, the
government will “seek the costs in-
curred in full, including those of the
confidentiality exercise”.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that
the duke had renewed his lease on
Frogmore Cottage and will continue to
be allowed to deputise for the Queen
Harry lives in California but is eligi-
ble to serve his grandmother as one of
her four Counsellors of State because
he qualifies as being “domiciled” in
Britain due to his Windsor address.HISTORIC ROYAL PALACESAn artist’s impression shows
the slide taking visitors into
a moat filled with flowersParty time
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations
will include:
6 A four-day bank holiday weekend
from June 2 to 5.
6 Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s
birthday parade, will feature over
1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses
and 400 musicians. The Platinum
Jubilee Beacons will involve more
than 1,500 beacons being lit.
6 A service of Thanksgiving will be
held at St Paul’s Cathedral, while the
BBC will broadcast a special live
concert from Buckingham Palace.
6 Members of the public are being
encouraged to come together for
The Big Jubilee Lunch, from street
parties to small garden barbecues.
6 Displays marking significant
occasions in the Queen’s reign — the
accession, the coronation and her
jubilees — will be staged at the
official royal residences from July.
6 A nationwide baking competition
has been launched to find a brand
new pudding dedicated to the
Queen that can be enjoyed by
generations to come. A set of five
finalists will be judged by a panel
including Dame Mary Berry.
6 More than 60,000 trees have
been planted in the UK through the
Queen’s Green Canopy project in
the past two months. The public are
being asked to “plant a tree for the
jubilee” and every planting will be
recorded on a digital map to be
presented to the Queen.