Prince Harry's taxpayer-funded security was cut after his "highly unusual decision" to quit royal duties and "spend most of the time abroad", the High Court has heard.
The Duke of Sussex has flown 5,000 miles from California to attend a two-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London and attended the second day of the hearing in-person on Wednesday.
Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, told the court there was "nothing about the appellant's announcement in January 2020 that he was to step back from his role in the Royal Family, and spend most of the time abroad, that was usual."
Prince Harry has claimed he was "singled out" for "inferior treatment" when the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) stripped him of his top-level security in February 2020.
Prince Harry's appeal torn apart as lawyer hits out at duke's 'continued failure to understand his circumstances'
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His lawyer Shaheed Fatima KC insisted that Ravec failed to follow its own guidelines.
She argued the committee should have commissioned an assessment of the Duke's security needs from the Risk Management Board (RMB).
Ms Fatima also told the court that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "felt forced to step back" from frontline royal duties in 2020 "as they considered they were not being protected by the institution".
Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, has said it had the discretion to strip Harry's guaranteed full-time police security without consulting the Risk Management Board quango.
"RMB risk analysis is the usual approach in usual cases," he told the High Court.
The Duke of Sussex has flown 5,000 miles from California to attend a two-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London and attended the second day of the hearing in-person on Wednesday.
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The barrister argued it was "hard to imagine" someone more experienced and better placed than the chair of Ravec to make a bespoke decision about the Duke's security arrangements.
This was necessary to accommodate "the unique and unusual circumstances of the appellant [Prince Harry]".
The Home Office's barrister added that the Duke's appeal "involves a continued failure to see the wood for the trees".
Prince Harry arrived at the High Court shortly after 10am and waved to fans gathered near the entrance.
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The California-based royal is challenging the dismissal of his High Court legal action against the Home Office.
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He then made his way to his seat in the courtroom and sat behind his barristers.
The Duke had a notepad, pen and bottle of water in front of him as he attended the proceedings.
The California-based royal is challenging the dismissal of his High Court legal action against the Home Office.
The case stems from the decision by Ravec that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
The government argues that his unprecedented decision to step back from royal duties required a bespoke approach to his protection.
