Prince Harryreceived an early victory in hislawsuit against the publisherof theMail on Sunday.
A High Court judge in London paved the way for Harry to take his libel claim to trial when he ruled on Friday that aMail on Sundayarticle about the royal’s legal battle with the British government over his police protection in the country was defamatory.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, is suing Associated Newspapers for libel over an article that alleged he tried to keep the details of his legal fight to reinstate his police protection in the U.K. secret, and that his aides had then tried to put a positive spin on it.
The article, published online and in print in February, was titled: “How Harry tried to keep his legal fight over bodyguards secret … then minutes after MoS broke story his PR machine tried to put positive spin on the dispute.”
Prince Harry.Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty
On Thursday, Prince Harry’s lawyers asked the High Court to grant permission for a judicial review against a Home Office decision preventing him from personally funding police protection for himself and his family while in the U.K. His legal team told the High Court in London that Harry"does not feel safe"bringing his two children to the U.K. after the loss of his taxpayer-funded police protection and the level of security intelligence with it.
TheMail on Sundayarticle in question claimed thatPrince Harrytried to hide litigation against the British Home Office regarding the security issue and claimed that he did not offer to fund his protection during a U.K. visit in June 2021 to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Judge Nicklin reiterated that the ruling was “very much the first phase in a libel claim.”
“The next step will be for the defendant to file a defence to the claim,” he said. “It will be a matter for determination later in the proceedings whether the claim succeeds or fails, and if so on what basis.”
Meghan Marklepreviously received asymbolic £1($1.36) in damages from theMail on Sundayaftersuccessfully winning her legal caseagainst the paper for publishing a personal letter she sent to her father in 2018.
In a statement on Dec. 2 following the ruling, the Duchess of Sussex said, “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right.”
She noted, “While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.”
Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, have alsosued photographersafter images surfaced of their son Archie playing in the backyard of their former Los Angeles home.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Chris Jackson/Getty
In 2019,Harry filed a legal claimagainst News UK (owner ofThe Sun) and MGN (former owner ofThe Mirror) regarding the alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages.
source: people.com
