Prince Harry faces a £500,000 court bill after losing in the High Court

On Tuesday, a judge rejected Prince Harry's attempt to pay for armed police guards. The Prince's taxpayer-funded guards were removed when he stepped down from his duties as the older king and moved to North America with his wife, Meghan Markle, in January 2020. His legal battle with the Home Office over his right to free police protection continues when he visits the U.K. It has also been revealed that the case has cost the British taxpayer more than £300,000. The ruling comes amid a High Court trial in which he is suing the Mirror Group Newspapers over allegations of illegally collecting information. Before that, he had paid KC and three other barristers to argue in court that his alternative offer to pay such guards should be reconsidered. Allowing Harry to "buy" his police guards would create a two-tiered system that only rich people could take advantage of, the lawyers argued. High Court Judge Sir Martin Chamberlain refused to allow the Prince to apply for judicial review of the decision to reject his pay offer. The judge also said that Prince's lawyers had argued unsuccessfully that RAVEC had no right to reject his money and that the police commissioner should be asked to review it instead. The police said that when they charge fees, such as security at soccer games, it is usually on private property and does not involve a potential exit from London. In addition, there are strict rules regarding firearms. Prince Harry reportedly intends to challenge the government's claim that he must pay the costs he incurred in his defense of last week's case, which is expected to be at least £8,000. In addition, he may appeal the court's decision.