Prince Harry's failed court case against the Home Office claiming that automatic police protection for his family should be restored cost the taxpayer £500,000, documents have revealed.
Home official officials and lawyers paid £514,128 battling two judicial reviews brought by the Duke of Sussex after his security status was lowered when he and his wife Meghan moved to set home in the US the Daily Telegraph reported.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, has pledged to appeal against his latest defeat when a judge last month ruled he had failed to prove the decision to downgrade his security was unfair or unlawful.
The bill landed on taxpayers included more than £180,000 for barristers, £320,000 for the Government's legal department and £3,200 in court fees, according to a Freedom of Information request.
The breakdown showed almost £10,000 was spent on the disclosure of electronic documents linked to the case, believed to include emails between civil servants and the Royal Household.
Prince Harry claimed the decision by the Home Office's Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec, was unjust and put he and his family in danger.
His lawyers argued he was “singled out” and other VIPs were treated better by comparison.
But a High Court judge ruled that it was fair to consider his security on a case by case basis rather than to guarantee round the clock protection.
The Home Office had argued that with Prince Harry no longer a working Royal the taxpayer should not be expected to guarantee to foot the bill for his security.
Prince Harry’s legal bill over the failed claims is estimated at around £1m.
A chunk of the hearing had been heard in private for security reasons but the judge found that the approach of having a "bespoke" arrangement for Prince Harry, rather than the same as working royals, was "legally sound".
