Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt they were 'forced to step back’ from royal duties, his lawyer tells UK court

Prince Harry made a rare appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice, central London, England, today (April 8, 2025), as the first day of his appeal against the UK Home Office over the withdrawal of his security detail began.The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, is challenging a previous High Court ruling that upheld the UK government's decision to no longer provide him with the highest level of taxpayer-funded security. This was done after he and Meghan Markle officially announced in 2020 that they were stepping down from their roles as senior working royals and later relocated to the United States. Since then, Harry and Meghan have been living in California, USA, with their two children-- Archie and Lilibet.In written submissions, Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima KC, told the Court of Appeal that both Harry and Meghan felt they “were not being protected by the institution” when they stepped away from their duties in January 2020. However, the couple had “wished to continue their duties in support of the late Queen as privately funded members of the royal family”, reported The Independent.Although a High Court judge previously ruled that the government panel’s decision to offer Prince Harry “bespoke” security on a case-by-case basis was lawful and reasonable, Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima argued against it in the appeals court. She said that the panel failed to follow its own established procedures and did not conduct a proper risk assessment of the Duke’s security needs.“The appellant does not accept that bespoke means better. In fact, in his submission, it means that he has been singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment,” Fatima said, reported AP.It is noted that Harry doesn't usually attend court hearings, but since he made a rare appearance today-- it shows how personally significant the case is to him. His last major appearance came during a phone-hacking trial, where he became the first senior royal to testify in court in over a century.It is noted that Prince Harry arrived in the UK just hours before his father, King Charles III, and Queen Camilla departed for a state visit to Italy. However, Prince Harry and King Charles did not have a meeting.At the close of Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos noted time constraints for the remaining sessions, urging the legal teams to keep arguments concise. The appeal is set to continue on Wednesday, with some portions of the hearing expected to be held in private due to the sensitive nature of the information being discussed.This particular case reflects how deeply Prince Harry is concerned about his and his family's safety and his complicated relationship with the Royal Institution he once served.