Prince Harry has been directed to pay nearly £50,000 to the Mail on Sunday after losing a key stage in his ongoing legal dispute.
A High Court judge mandated the Duke of Sussex to cover the legal costs incurred by the newspaper, marking a setback in his attempt to have the case resolved without a trial.
The judgment by Mr. Justice Nicklin declared that if an agreement on the sum could not be reached between the two parties, Harry was to pay £48,447 ‘on account’ before the year’s end.
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The legal clash revolves around an article from February 2022, where The Mail on Sunday alleged that Harry’s PR aides attempted to manipulate his conflict with the Home Office over the downgrade of his taxpayer-funded police protection.
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Despite Harry’s request for the court to dismiss the case and rule in his favor without a trial, the judge concluded that Associated Newspapers, the publisher of The Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail, had a ‘real prospect’ of demonstrating that statements on behalf of Harry were misleading.
A full libel trial is now scheduled for the upcoming year. The article in question claimed Harry’s PR advisers briefed journalists incorrectly about his legal action against the Home Office, asserting that the prince had offered to pay for his security but was refused.
Harry argued that the article damaged his honesty and integrity, jeopardizing his charitable work and efforts to combat online misinformation.
The Mail on Sunday countered that the article expressed an honest opinion and did not cause ‘serious harm’ to Harry’s reputation.
In a separate hearing, the Duke is also pursuing a judicial review into the alleged ‘unlawful and unfair’ decision to downgrade his security, with a verdict expected at a later date.
