A United Kingdom High Court has rejected the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry’s request to buy police protection for his family during trips to the UK.

Harry, 38, a prince of the United Kingdom, had declared his intention to pay for his own security after losing taxpayer-funded protection when he and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as senior royals and moved to the United States in 2020.

However, Home Office lawyers argued that it was “not appropriate” for wealthy people to “buy” security from the police because it may put people of other classes at risk, according to The Independent.

This has led the high court to deny Harry’s request for a judicial review of the decision, which would have been his second challenge to his security arrangements.

This comes a week after Harry and his wife Meghan described a “near catastrophic” car chase in New York after being pursued by “highly aggressive paparazzi” in a “relentless pursuit.”

The lawsuit is one of five civil cases Harry is pursuing in court, including three unresolved claims involving alleged phone hacking.

He has already been granted permission to appeal the decision not to provide him with the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting the UK, though a hearing date has not yet been set.

The government has spent £296,882 on the security case so far, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained in February, with the figure now likely to be higher.

In February 2020, an official committee known as Ravec decided that the duke, his wife, and their children would no longer be automatically granted police protection during their visits to the UK.

He told the High Court that he was unaware of the committee’s existence or that members of the royal household were involved, and that he believed its decisions were “independent.”

Legal documents filed by his representatives said that, at the time, there were “significant” tensions between Prince Harry and the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young

After launching an initial claim for judicial review over that decision, his representatives challenged further decisions relating to the Sussexes’ security arrangements.