Prince Harry Claims He Was 'Singled Out' For 'Inferior Treatment' Over Security Downgrade After Royal Exit

Prince Harry's legal team has argued that he was "singled out" for inferior treatment" when his security was downgraded upon his decision to quit senior royal life.

The claim was made during the first proceedings in the appeal against the cutback on his security by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC).

Meanwhile, the barrister representing the Home Office slammed Prince Harry's decision to appeal as a "continued failure to see the wood for the trees,

Prince Harry's appeal over the downgrade of his security following his royal exit is well underway, with his legal team opening the challenge with strong statements, per the Daily Mail.

The Duke's barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, argued that Harry was "singled out for different, unjustified, and inferior treatment" by the Home Office. The decision to reduce his security was made through the RAVEC in early 2020 after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, resigned from being senior working royals.

Further arguing the case, Fatima KC told the court that Ravec did not get an assessment from the Risk Management Board before subjecting Harry to the "bespoke process" for his current security arrangement.

She also claimed that this assessment, which is a key part of the Ravec process, is yet to be made available despite the security threats Harry has faced in recent times.

Fatima KC then pointed out that the judge who ruled against Harry "failed to appreciate the role of the RMB (risk management board) analysis in Ravec's decision-making" and also erred in two other aspects on the "construction and application of the terms of reference and evaluation criteria."

Responding to the strong statements from Prince Harry's legal team, Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, argued that the Duke no longer qualified for his previous level of security because "he is no longer a member of the cohort of individuals whose security position remains under regular review by RAVEC.

He also stated that the judge was "right to find that it was lawful" for RAVEC to have the final authority in assigning Prince Harry a "bespoke" security arrangement against Fatima KC's argument that the judge had "wrongly and inappropriately deferred to RAVEC."

Eadie KC further pointed out that Harry's decision to appeal reflected a "continued failure to see the wood for the trees, advancing propositions available only by reading small parts of the evidence and now the judgment, out of context and ignoring the totality of the picture."

Unlike today's proceedings, which were live-streamed, tomorrow's session will take place behind closed doors.

The decision was made by the judges Sir Geoffrey Vos, Lord Justice Bean, and Lord Justice Edis due to some of the evidence expected to be presented being deemed "highly confidential."

"Some of the evidence in this case, which is being placed before the Court of Appeal, has been agreed between the parties to be highly confidential," the judges said. "That evidence relates to security arrangements and threat levels and assessments for the claimant and other public figures."

They further claimed that the content of the evidence "would be of interest to anyone wishing to harm a person within the scope of the security arrangements." Hence, allowing for tomorrow's proceedings to be publicized "would risk jeopardizing the effectiveness of those arrangements."

At around 9:30 a.m., Prince Harry arrived at Court 73 of the Royal Courts of Justice, marking his first appearance in the UK in over six months.

He was dressed in formal attire that consisted of a dark suit paired with a white shirt and a pale blue patterned tie.

The Duke arrived with a brief security detail and offered a slight smile to some of the journalists present to cover the proceedings.

He was also met with a question from a reporter asking whether he had spoken to his father upon arriving from Los Angeles on Sunday. Harry, however, chose not to respond to the inquiry.

Upon entering the courtroom, he took his seat in the back row of three benches behind his legal team.

As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to live as non-working royals, Meghan reportedly longs for her husband to be free from the courtroom drama that has trailed him.

Harry has been fighting for the Home Office to reinstate his tax-funded police protection for himself and his family after they were stripped of it when they left their royal duties in 2020.

An ex-employee of the couple's Archewell Foundation has now told People magazine that the former "Suits" actress "supports Harry 100 percent, but she wishes he could let go of these lawsuits, be happy and live in the moment."

"She wants him to be free of all of this, but she also knows that because of everything he's been through and his love for [her and their children], he can't. She wants him to live in a world where he is not burdened by this," the source added.