Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 2/18
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Prince Harry’s attorneys told a court hearing on Friday that the British royal is unwilling to bring his two children to his homeland because he doesn’t believe it’s safe.
The Duke of Sussex has launched a legal challenge to the UK government’s refusal to let him pay for police protection when he comes to Britain.
According to the 37-year-old’s legal team, Harry wants to bring his son Archie, who is almost three, as well as his 8-month-old daughter Lilibet to visit his home country from the United States. However, the British royal thinks it would be too risky without police protection.
Harry, who lives in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Meghan Markle and their children, didn’t attend the preliminary hearing. The court considered requests by both sides in the case for parts of some legal documents to be kept private.
PRINCE HARRY REQUESTS TO FUND OWN POLICE SECURITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Prince Harry believes it's unsafe to bring his two children to the UK. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)
It’s noted that senior members of the British royal family are given taxpayer-funded police protection. However, Harry lost that opportunity when he and his wife, 40, stepped down as working royals and moved to the United States in 2020.
Harry insisted that he wants to personally pay for the protection. He flagged that his private security team in America doesn’t have adequate jurisdiction abroad or access to UK intelligence information.
During a hearing at the High Court in London, Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, said the prince "does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements applied to him."
"It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart," she shared. "Most of all, this is and will always be his home.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in California with their children. (Photo by Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images)
Robert Palmer, a lawyer representing the British government, called Harry’s claims "unarguable and unmeritorious."
In a written submission, Palmer said that Harry’s offer to pay for police security was irrelevant because "personal protective security by the police is not available on a privately financed basis."
Reps for Harry didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British royal in May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as working royals and moved to the United States in 2020. (AP)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former "Suits" star. The family now resides in Markle’s native California.
In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.
Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.
On June 4, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother, Princess Diana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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