Prince Harry was swiftly escorted out of a U.K. courtroom on Wednesday, April 9, following a disruptive outburst from a fan.
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The Duke of Sussex, 40, attended the second day of an appeal hearing regarding his security arrangements in the U.K. According to People, during a break before a private session, as the royal exited the courtroom, a woman blurted out, “I support you, Prince Harry!”
He swiftly left the courtroom with his team in tow. Meanwhile, the woman, who had arrived late and spent the hearing fidgeting with multiple phones and a notebook, turned to the gallery and remarked, “If you’re members of the press, you’re the reason he’s not in England.”
Prince Harry subsequently returned to attend the private session of the hearing.
Harry is challenging the U.K. government’s 2020 decision to revoke his automatic security entitlement following his and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties.
Last year, the High Court in London determined that the decision was lawful and denied his request to appeal the ruling to a higher court. However, following a direct application from Harry’s legal team, an appeals court agreed to review the case.
The appeal is one of several legal battles involving the litigious prince, who has been embroiled in over half a dozen lawsuits across the U.S. and England against various media organizations.
Prince Harry Has Long Had Issues with the Press
Of course, the Duke of Sussex has long had issues with the American and British press, believing paparazzi caused the 1997 car accident that killed his mother, Princess Diana, as she tried to escape photographers in Paris.
The tragic event marked a turning point for Harry and Meghan, influencing how they approached the media and their decision to step back from royal duties, partly due to concerns about their mental health.
Harry’s legal team has condemned the decision to withdraw his security, citing threats from the terrorist group Al Qaeda and the couple’s harrowing paparazzi chase in 2023.
“One must not forget the human dimension of this case, “Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima said in court Wednesday. “There is a person who is sitting behind me whose safety, whose security, and whose life is at stake. There is a person sitting behind me who’s been told he is getting a special bespoke process when he knows in his experience it is a process that is manifestly inferior in every sense.
“His presence here and throughout this appeal is a potent demonstration of how much this appeal means to him and his family,” she added.
As she finished, Harry raised his hand to his face, seemingly trying to process the moment.