Prince Harry’s quiet battle in the courtroom has been anything but peaceful.
Last week, when he faced Associated Newspapers Limited in Court 76 of the Royal Courts of Justice, the Duke of Sussex was confronted with a stark reminder of the dangers that follow him.
Twice a woman with a known obsession was seen just a few meters behind him in the public gallery.
She is immediately identified by his private security team and listed on a fixed-person register.
Court staff, however, were powerless to act. “It’s a public building,” a source said The telegraph. “She has a right to be there. Of course it’s not ideal.”
The woman, who is believed to be struggling with mental health issues, has repeatedly appeared near Harry.
She dragged him to Nigeria and breached security at a London hotel last September during the WellChild Awards, slipping into a restricted area. Two days later, she was seen near the Center for Blast Injury Studies.
Amid these nervous meetings, the prince has also pursued his privacy case with dogged determination, seeking accountability from Fleet Street for what he describes as decades of reckless tabloid intrusion.
Some speculate that his motive spans a mixture of justice, revenge and a protective instinct for Meghan and his children.
Neil Basu, former head of Britain’s counter-terrorism unit, described the duke’s situation as anxiety-inducing.
“Repeated run-ins with a stalker are incredibly stressful,” he said. “You never quite know where a fixation will lead to roses or declarations of love, or something far more dangerous.”
The Home Office has launched a review of Harry’s security arrangements, a shift prompted by his high-profile meetings and ongoing legal battles.
Despite losing a bid for automatic state-funded protection, the duke remains at the top of the threat radar, with his global recognition and recent media attention likely to heighten the risks.
