Palace returns serve after Harry's bombshell
Prince Harry has said he would 'love a reconciliation' with the royal family but King Charles 'won't speak to me', as Buckingham Palace issued a blunt statement in response.
The Duke of Sussex's emotional comments came in a far reaching interview with the BBC after he lost a British court battle on Friday over his taxpayer funded UK security arrangements, which the Government downgraded when he moved overseas and stepped back from royal duties.
Harry said he was 'devastated' by the legal failure which was due to an 'old fashioned establishment stitch up'.
He also said he did 'not know how much time my father has'. King Charles is receiving treatment for cancer.
On Friday, UK time, the UK Court of Appeal ruled against Prince Harry in a case that could end up costing him more than $3 million in legal fees.
Buckingham Palace welcomed the court's decision.
The Duke, who was not in the UK for the verdict, can appeal the ruling to the UK Supreme Court.
'I'm devastated,' Harry told the BBC. 'Not so much as devastated with the loss that I am about the people behind the decision, feeling as though this is okay. Is it a win for them?'
The Duke of Sussex brought the case against the UK's Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec.
The legal row centred on to what extent the Sussex's could expect security to be provided to them when in the UK after they walked away from Britain and royal life.
The UK government downgraded their security and said protection would be provided on a case-by-case basis when Harry returned but he had to give notice.
Prince Harry had argued his family needed around-the-clock protection within the UK at any time because of the threats they had received. He claimed he and Meghan had been 'singled out' from the protection given to other royals, reported The Sun.
Harry's testimony 'moving' but no legal issue
But on Friday, UK time, in Britain's Court of Appeal, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Lord Justice Bean and Lord Justice Edis ruled against him in a humiliating blow for the prince.
It also means he faces paying the legal costs for both sides, which is estimated to be more than £1.5 million ($A3.09 million).
In his Judgement, Sir Geoffrey said Harry's arguments had been 'moving' but did not amount to an actual legal challenge.
'It was impossible to say that this reasoning was illogical or inappropriate, indeed it seemed sensible'.
'An unintended consequence of his decision to step back from royal duties and spend the majority of his time abroad has been that he has been provided with a more bespoke, and generally lesser, level of protection than when he was in the UK.
'That did not in itself give rise to a legal complaint.'
'Establishment stitch up'
Talking to the BBC, Prince Harry said the court's decision meant he feared for his family's safety in Britain.
'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.
'I miss the UK. It's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland'.
Harry said his security downgrade was put in place under the previous Conservative government and with a new Labour government in place he insinuated a change could occur. But that would also involve Charles allowing a security review to take place.
'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands,' the Duke said.
'Ultimately, this could be resolved through him, not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.
'I have had it described to me... that this is a good, old fashioned establishment stitch up, and that's what it feels like.'
Palace responds
Buckingham Palace released a short statement, published by The Sun, shortly afterwards, with a spokesman saying, 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion'.
'My family will never forgive me'
Elsewhere in the interview, Harry said despite the bad blood between him and the other Windsors, safety was paramount.
'There have been so many disagreements between me and some of my family,' Harry said.
'Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book.
'(But) this current situation that has been ongoing for five years with regards to human life and safety is the sticking point. It is the only thing that's left.'
'Don't know how long my father has'
'I would love reconciliation with my family,' Harry continued.
'I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to be nice to reconcile
'(But) there's no point in continuing to fight anymore … life is precious.'
The court had been told previously that Prince Harry had offered to fund his own Police armed bodyguards but officials refused – with insiders insisting cops are not 'guns for hire'.
Today's ruling comes after another court case where UK High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke's case and ruled Ravec's approach was not irrational or procedurally unfair.
In his ruling in February, the judge said there had not been any 'unlawfulness' in the call to pull Harry's security.
He also explained Harry's lawyers had taken 'an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the Ravec process'.
The judge added: 'The 'bespoke' process devised for the claimant in the decision of 28 February 2020 was, and is, legally sound.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
Northern suburbs congestion buster Stephenson Avenue extension to open by September
Northern suburbs commuters are due traffic relief soon, with the Government revealing the long-awaited Stephenson Avenue extension to the Mitchell Freeway will open by September. The project, which Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said had been spoken about for nearly 40 years, is set to take pressure off roads around Osborne Park and Innaloo — especially at peak traffic times in the afternoon. Construction for the road saw the bridge extended incrementally over the Freeway. 'Every driver going up and down this freeway would have seen that bridge coming across the Freeway and now we'll be completing these works, and this area will be open by the third quarter of this year,' Ms Saffioti said. Ms Saffioti said the project was about more than just improving congestion. 'A key part of the overall vision of this project is releasing of land, the creation of new housing lots — this will not only be a new road network, but also a new housing precinct the City of Stirling,' she said. 'The City of Stirling has held long and held aspirations to create this, to create a significant community hub around this precinct. 'As part of the work that we're doing, we're creating the housing lots that will be ready for future housing and future developments.' Ms Saffioti was speaking at the announcement of an $100 million investment in next week's State Budget for road upgrades in the northern suburbs, including the Reid Highway Erindale Road flyover, which will start work in 2028.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Perth traffic relief near as date for new road opening set
Northern suburbs commuters are due traffic relief soon, with the Government revealing the long-awaited Stephenson Avenue extension to the Mitchell Freeway will open by September. The project, which Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said had been spoken about for nearly 40 years, is set to take pressure off roads around Osborne Park and Innaloo — especially at peak traffic times in the afternoon. Construction for the road saw the bridge extended incrementally over the Freeway. Your local paper, whenever you want it. Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti have made a pre-Budget announcement to address congestion in Perth's northern suburbs. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian 'Every driver going up and down this freeway would have seen that bridge coming across the Freeway and now we'll be completing these works, and this area will be open by the third quarter of this year,' Ms Saffioti said. Ms Saffioti said the project was about more than just improving congestion. 'A key part of the overall vision of this project is releasing of land, the creation of new housing lots — this will not only be a new road network, but also a new housing precinct the City of Stirling,' she said. 'The City of Stirling has held long and held aspirations to create this, to create a significant community hub around this precinct. 'As part of the work that we're doing, we're creating the housing lots that will be ready for future housing and future developments.' Ms Saffioti was speaking at the announcement of an $100 million investment in next week's State Budget for road upgrades in the northern suburbs, including the Reid Highway Erindale Road flyover, which will start work in 2028.
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Opposition leader Sussan Ley accuses Penny Wong of overstepping in ‘unprecedented' Israeli minister sanctions
Opposition leader Sussan Ley has accused the Albanese Government of overstepping by slapping 'unprecedented' sanctions on two Israeli Government ministers. She accused Penny Wong of acting 'unilaterally' in imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The Albanese Government joined the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway to sanction the pair, accusing them of 'inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank'. 'It is unprecedented to, as a government, take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government. It appears that Penny Wong acted unilaterally on this,' Ms Ley told Sky New on Thursday. 'The Magnitsky sanctions were never designed to be used in this way, but to take action against terrorist regimes and bad actors.' The Magnitsky legislation allows governments to impose targeted sanctions, such as asset freezes and travel bans, on foreign individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses or corruption. Australia has only selectively deployed the sanctions, mostly on Russian individuals, since they first came into effect in December 2021 with the first set handed down in March 2022. The Foreign Minister and Labor colleagues have defended the measure, with Ms Wong saying the duo had 'extremist rhetoric' including 'appalling and dangerous' calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements. Former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon also openly labelled them 'extremists.' However when asked whether the Government had 'overstepped the mark', Ms Ley bluntly responded: 'Yes we do. Yes we do'. Ms Ley's criticism of the collective move was echoed by her Coalition team on Thursday, with many calling for a briefing on the decision which they warned could have broader implications. 'We want to understand more deeply the rationale behind the government's decision making,' Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie said on Thursday. 'I think these sanctions do go against the intent of the Magnitsky sanction regime.' Opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser has warned if the standard for triggering Magnitsky sanctions had been weakened it could impact Australia's standing abroad. 'This is a very serious step. When you read the government's statement, it suggests that it's actually lowered the threshold for applying sanctions,' he told the ABC on Thursday. 'Because these sanctions are being applied because of public comments of the two Israeli ministers and the big question here is whether this is a new standard that will be applied to the public comments of officials from other countries.' Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash called the sanctions a 'very serious development' and said they should meet 'a very high threshold.' While backing the sanctions and defending them as 'carefully considered', Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said he hoped Australia and Israel would 'continue our friendship'. 'I mean we want to continue our friendship with Israel, let me be clear about that,' he said. 'We've worked very carefully in relation to taking this step over a period of time. 'We've done this in combination with the United Kingdom in combination with Canada and with other nations.' His shadow counterpart Angus Taylor went as far to question whether Ms Wong's call teamed with Labor's refusal to lift the defence budget after US pressure had prompted the Trump Administration to review the AUKUS partnership. But Marles hit back at his 'breathless press conference' and said the Coalition needed to 'take a breath' on the AUKUS probe which he downplayed as a 'natural' decision of any new government. Former Liberal politician and ex-US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos also rejected any link, noting Marles had publicly said he'd been aware a review was coming for weeks. Both sides of politics have said ultimately they wanted to see a ceasefire and long-term end to the Gaza conflict.
