Prince Harry has been ordered to pay the Mail on Sunday £48,447 after a failed attempt to strike out part of the paper’s defence.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers, the Mail’s publisher, over an article written about his fight with the Home Office concerning his security arrangements while he is in the UK.
The 39-year-old had tried to have the company’s “honest opinion” defence thrown out.
Associated Newspapers argued their article expressed an “honest opinion” and did not cause “serious harm” to the royal’s reputation.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were stripped of their automatic police protection after stepping down as working royals in 2020.
The article’s original headline read: “How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over bodyguards a secret … then – just minutes after the story broke – his PR machine tried to put positive spin on the dispute.”
The prince argued this headline was libellous for attacking his “honesty and integrity”.
In addition, Harry’s lawyers called the headline inaccurate, suggesting they “cynically” mislead the public to believe the royal had “lied”.
Meghan and Harry stepped down as working royals in 2020
PA
If a settlement is not reached between the prince and Associated Newspapers, then the libel trial will be held between May and July next year.
Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020 and subsequently moved to California.
The couple made their last joint appearance in the UK in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
