The UK's Prince Harry requested specific security protection after a threat was made against him by al Qaida, according to court documents.
Harry was at the Royal Courts of Justice in London last week for the latest stage of a legal battle with the UK home office over the level of taxpayer-funded personal security he should receive when visiting the UK.
In February 2020, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided he should receive a different degree of protection when in the country, and he is appealing against a High Court ruling dismissing his case against the Home Office over the decision last year.
A summary of some of the evidence that was heard in private during Harry’s appeal case last week reveals that the duke had made a request for protection following a threat from terrorists.
“The Appellant confirmed that he had requested certain protection after a threat was made against him by al Qaida,” the document says.
Harry has previously said he faces a greater risk than his late mother, with “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
He believes his family faces an “international threat” and has already highlighted that al-Qaeda had called for him to be killed.
In written submissions as part of Harry’s appeal, parts of which were redacted for confidentiality reasons, Shaheed Fatima KC, for the duke, said Ravec ruled in 2020 that “there is no basis for publicly funded security support for the duke and duchess within Great Britain”.
After the decision, al Qaida called for Harry “to be murdered”, and his security team was informed that the terrorist group had published a document which said his “assassination would please the Muslim community”, Ms Fatima said.
The UK home office, which is legally responsible for Ravec’s decisions, is opposing the appeal.
Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back from official public duties on January 8 2020.
The duke and duchess were later told during the so-called “Sandringham summit”, which aimed to agree the terms of their new role, that they would not be able to retain the full-time police protection.
Such protection is currently granted to the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children.
Ravec’s final decision, shared on February 28th 2020, stated that Metropolitan Police protection would no longer be appropriate after the Sussexes’ departure, and that they should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
The Sussexes would instead receive a “bespoke” security service, whereby they would be required to give 30 days’ notice of any plans to travel to the UK, with each visit being assessed for threat levels and whether protection is needed.
Ms Fatima told the appeal hearing that the duke had been “singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment”, adding that Harry “does not accept that ‘bespoke’ means ‘better’.”
A decision is expected in writing at a later date.
