Shaheed Fatima acts for Prince Harry in security case

She has argued that the government exceeded its authority by denying the Duke of Sussex the right to pay for his own police protection

Shaheed Fatima KC, in March 2019. Getty Images

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is being represented by one of the UK's leading human rights lawyers as he challenges the government’s refusal to provide police protection when he visits the UK.

Shaheed Fatima KC was praised by former prime minister Gordon Brown, who described her as a “leading British lawyer” when he appointed her to lead the legal panel on the Inquiry on Protecting Children in Conflict in 2016.

Her ensuing report called for reforms in international humanitarian and human rights law, which included giving schools the same protection as hospitals and introducing an obligation on states to take measures to prevent sexual violence against children.

For this and other work she won Theirworld's #WritetheWrong Award in 2019, for having "tirelessly championed the protection of vulnerable and marginalised children living in conflict affected areas."

The UK Home Office - which is responsible for policing, immigration and security - decided in February 2020 that Prince Harry would no longer receive personal police security while in Britain, even if he were to cover the cost himself. In a hearing on Tuesday, Prince Harry made a second request to the High Court to challenge the Home Office's decision.

Ms Shaheed asked a judge to allow Harry to bring a case against the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures.

She argued that the committee had exceeded its authority and that its denial was inconsistent with legislation that allows a police chief to provide special police services for payment.

In Prince Harry’s first request to the High Court last year, Ms Shaheed apologised to the judge after her legal team leaked an embargoed document.

The judge said he would give his decision in a week’s time.

Ms Shaheed studied law at the universities of Glasgow, Oxford and Harvard and has represented a wide range of clients – from grieving Iraqi families to the states of Bahrain and Iran, and Saudi Prince Sultan Bin Aziz.

In 2007, she was part of a team representing the families of Iraqi civilians in a landmark case which sought to have British soldiers overseas held accountable to the Human Rights Act 1998. Among them was the family of Baha Mousa, who died in British custody in Basra.

She defended Abdul Magid Breish, former chairman of the Libyan Investment Authority, in a case which culminated in a court of appeal judgment enforcing the UK government’s recognition of the presidency council and government of national accord as the government of Libya in 2020.

She also represented Newcastle United Football Club in a dispute with the Premier League over the sale of the club to a consortium including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in 2021.