Prince Harry loses High Court security battle against Home Office in major blow for Duke of Sussex

The Duke of Sussex fight to secure a judicial review over a decision that he should not be allowed to pay privately for his protective security has ended in defeat.

Harry will now been unable to bring a second High Court challenge against the Home Office.

The Home Office opposed the idea of allowing wealthy people to buy security from the police.

Prince Harry is pursuing multiple separate civil cases through the courts in London.

This ruling followed a one-day High Court hearing in London last week.

A government spokesperson said: "We welcome the judgment upholding the integrity of the protective security system.

"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.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further on the legal proceedings."

Last week, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mother Doria were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" according to a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex.

The incident occurred after the Sussexes had attended an awards ceremony in New York.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have their own security team in the US.

Prince Harry's spokesperson said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.

"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."