Prince Harry's lawyer says his 'life is at stake' on final day of UK security appeal

By Sam Tobin

LONDON (Reuters) -Prince Harry returned to London's Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday for his appeal over changes to his security after he stepped down from royal duties, with his lawyer warning his "life is at stake".

Harry, King Charles' younger son, is trying to overturn a decision by the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – which decided in 2020 he would not automatically receive personal police security while in Britain.

Prince Harry stepped back from his royal duties in 2020 and now lives in California with his American wife Meghan and their two children.

Harry's challenge was rejected last year, with the High Court ruling the decision was lawful, but he was granted permission to appeal.

Harry, 40, regularly conferred with his legal team on the final day of the two-day hearing, at times shaking his head, as the government's lawyers argued that it was the right decision to adopt a "bespoke" approach to his security.

"The basis for the decision-making and the bespoke approach being adopted was that it had positive advantages from a security assessment point of view," James Eadie, representing the Home Office, said.

After part of Wednesday's hearing concerning specific security arrangements was heard in private, Harry's lawyer Shaheed Fatima said the case was incredibly important to him.

"One must not forget the human dimension to this case: there is a person sitting behind me whose safety, whose security and whose life is at stake," she told the court.

Harry had been told "he is getting a special bespoke process, when he knows and has experienced a process that is manifestly inferior in every respect," she said.

Fatima added: "His presence here and throughout this appeal is a potent illustration, were one needed, of how much this appeal means to him and his family."

She said in court filings that al Qaeda had recently called for Harry to be murdered and that he and his wife Meghan had been involved in "a dangerous car pursuit with paparazzi in New York City" in 2023.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael HoldenEditing by Ros Russell)