Prince Harry Says He Felt 'Forced' To Quit Royal Role Amid Security Legal Battle

Prince Harry has opened up about his decision to step back from his royal role and leave the country with his wife and children.

The Duke of Sussex, via his lawyer, said that he "felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020." The claim was made during a court session in his suit against the Home Office, the governmental organization that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) falls under.

Ravec had previously decided to scale back the protective measures for Harry and his family to a "case-by-case" basis, which the former senior royal believes could jeopardize his family's safety.

Prince Harry's court case against the Home Office dropped a new bombshell about his decision to resign from his royal role in 2020, per the Daily Mail.

In a written witness statement, the former senior royal said he "felt forced" to take the decision and did so with "great sadness."

The statement, however, did not reveal further details about his then-decision but focused on why he felt the February 2020 decision by Ravec to scale back his publicly funded security was "unlawful and unfair."

Harry's statement read, "The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil."

It continued, "I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too."

Although most of the proceedings weren't open to the public, Harry's stance on the matter is no secret.

One of the duke's lawyers, Shaheed Fatima KC, had previously claimed that Ravec did not conduct a risk analysis and fully assess the impact of a "successful attack" against Harry. She also said that her client was "singled out" and treated "less favourably" with "no good reason" for such actions.

Meanwhile, Sir James Eadie KC, who represents the committee, argued that it was Ravec's right to opt for a "more bespoke, targeted assessment" of Harry's security. He also said that doing so was not an act of treating Harry unfavorably.

A ruling date on Harry's legal action against the Home Office remains unknown, although it is expected to be made in the coming weeks.

Harry's suit against the Home Office is not the only one he is embroiled in. He currently has several other suits against Britain's tabloid publishers, per the New York Times.

In these legal actions, the duke claims that he and his inner circle had their voicemail illegally accessed through illicit methods spanning from 1996 to 2011. Additionally, Harry alleges that one of the tabloids unlawfully obtained other private information, including his medical records.

One of the legal filings also asserts that the prince experienced considerable distress and developed a sense of distrust, even towards his closest friends, amid the entire drama caused by seeing his personal information in the media.

In some previous legal actions, Harry and his wife Meghan have emerged victorious and even earned financial settlements. One such case was against The Mail on Sunday for invading Meghan's privacy by publishing a letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.

Aside from his legal issues, reports recently claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship with King Charles could be on the mend, per Page Six.

It came after the duo reached out to the monarch to wish him a happy birthday after being noticeably absent from the actual royal festivities.

While it's unclear what they discussed and how long it lasted, reports claim that the conversation was warm and heartfelt. It is said to have caused a positive change that might yield more fruit in the future.

Besides Harry and Meghan talking to the King, their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, also sent their birthday wishes to their grandfather. They did so through a pre-recorded video where they were seen singing "Happy Birthday."