Britain's Prince Harry. [Source: Reuters]

Prince Harry made a rare public appearance in Britain on Tuesday at London’s Royal Courts of Justice to fight the government over changes made to his security after he stepped down from royal duties, which his lawyer branded unjustified.

Harry, King Charles’ younger son, is trying to overturn a decision by the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – which decided in February 2020 he would not automatically receive personal police security while in Britain.

Last year, the High Court in London ruled the decision was lawful, but the Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers.

He arrived smiling and waving for the two-day hearing.

His lawyer Shaheed Fatima told the court the agency which protects royal and public figures had treated Harry, the Duke of Sussex, on a “bespoke” basis not applied to anyone else.

The prince, 40, listened intently as the packed courtroom heard mainly technical legal submissions.

In written submissions, Harry’s lawyers said al Qaeda had recently called for him to be murdered, and he and his American wife Meghan had been involved in “a dangerous car pursuit with paparazzi in New York City” in 2023.

It was not clear if Harry, now living in California, would be seeing any of his family from whom he has become estranged since his public criticism of his relatives and royal aides.

King Charles and Harry’s stepmother Queen Camilla are currently on a state visit to Italy where they will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.

The court case also coincided with the airing of Meghan’s new podcast in which she revealed she had been diagnosed with postpartum pre-eclampsia after giving birth to one of the couple’s children.

Harry’s trip also comes amid a high-profile, bitter dispute with the chief executive of his charity Sentebale, which he founded in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana.

Sophie Chandauka has accused him of bullying and racism, while Harry, who stepped down from his role at the charity, has called what happened “heartbreaking”.

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