LONDON, April 9, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Prince Harry was back in a London courtroom on Wednesday for the second day of his appeal against a UK government decision to cut back his police protection during his visits to Britain.

Much of Wednesday's hearing was to be held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of discussing the security and threats around King Charles III's youngest son.

Harry, 40, is fighting to have his security in the UK restored to the same high level it was before he and his wife, Meghan, split from the royal family in 2020 and dramatically moved to live in self-imposed exile in North America.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is no longer considered a working royal and the government decided he would not receive the "same degree" of publicly-funded protection as before when in Britain.

The prince took legal action against the interior ministry in 2021, and after his initial case was rejected last year, he brought a challenge before the Court of Appeal.

Lawyer Shaheed Fatima told the court on Tuesday's first day of the appeal that the prince had been "singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment".

In a written submission, his lawyers highlighted threats made against the prince.

"Al-Qaeda recently called for (Harry) to be murdered," and he and Meghan were "involved in a dangerous car pursuit with paparazzi in New York City" in May 2023, the submission said, without providing full details.

Harry has long been haunted by the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997 as she tried to escape paparazzi photographers.

Harry and Meghan have started a new life in California with their two young children and are now largely estranged from the royal family. 

But the prince has said security concerns have hampered his ability to visit Britain, and his trips have usually been fleeting. 

Lawyer James Eadie representing the Home Office began Wednesday's arguments as Harry listened intently, occasionally conferring with his lawyer, a notebook and pen laid out on the table in front of him.
Wednesday's session will wrap up the two-day hearing. A decision is expected in writing at a later date.