Private & confidential WHAT HARRY TRIED TO HIDE

Prince Harry made headlines when the news broke that he was refusing to take his family to the UK unless police security was provided for them and that he was suing the British Government in a bid to get protection.

Now it has been revealed that Harry tried to keep his legal battle secret, but the Home Office argued it should be made public in the interests of transparency. High Court documents show he wanted a confidentiality order placed on all documents to do with the case he has taken against the government. But the Home Office challenged that and some papers have been made public.

It is also alleged that he didn’t offer to pay for that security until his demands were made public.

When the story first broke that Harry, 37, was worried about the safety of his family and felt the bodyguards they use in the US would not be effective enough in the UK – mostly because they wouldn’t be allowed to carry guns, say some security experts – there was no mention of an offer to foot the bill for highly trained and armed UK police. But within hours it was being reported – by the likes of Omid Scobie, who co-authored the book Finding Freedom about Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – that Harry wanted to pay but had been turned down.

However, Home Office lawyers say there was no mention of payment until details of Harry’s request for police protection had been released to the public.