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.
A committee revoked Prince Harry’s 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. 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.
But the Duke of Sussex vehemently disagreed with the decision, 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 — a ruling Mr Rayner believes was unfair.
Mr Rayner told the Daily Mail: “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.
“This guy was flying Apaches in a conflict and we’ve got the Invictus Games coming up in Birmingham. Are we not supporting him for that?”
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.
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.”
The Duke revealed his anger at the 2025 appeal decision in a tell-all interview with the BBC, describing it as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch up”.
He said: “For the time being, it’s 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.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” he said. “I love my country I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done. So you know? I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK.”
While the judge recognised his lawyers’ argument that Prince Harry’s change in status did not alter his level of risk, he denied the Duke’s appeal to reconsider his security protections.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
