Prince Harry has been ordered to pay almost £50,000 to the publisher of the Mail on Sunday (TMOS) following a recent legal setback. This order comes after a High Court judge ruled that Harry failed in his bid to have his lawsuit against TMOS decided without going to trial.
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Justice Nicklin stated that if the two parties cannot agree on a sum, the legal costs will need to be assessed. However, he has directed Prince Harry to pay £48,447 ‘on account’ before the end of the year.
The legal battle revolves around an article published by TMOS in February 2022, which alleged that Harry’s PR team had attempted to ‘spin’ his dispute with the Home Office regarding the downgrading of his taxpayer-funded police protection. Harry’s lawsuit argues that the article was an attack on his honesty and integrity and could undermine his charity work and his efforts to combat misinformation online.
Prince Harry had requested the High Court to rule that TMOS could not use a legal defense of ‘honest opinion’ and sought a judgment in his favor without a trial. However, the judge found that the publisher had a ‘real prospect’ of showing that statements made on Harry’s behalf could be considered misleading. Consequently, a full libel trial is now scheduled for next year.
The article in question had reported that Harry’s PR advisors briefed journalists inaccurately about his legal action against the Home Office and his offer to pay for police protection while in Britain. TMOS defended its position, arguing that the article expressed an honest opinion and did not cause ‘serious harm’ to Harry’s reputation.
In a separate judicial review, Prince Harry’s claim that the decision to downgrade his security was ‘unlawful and unfair’ is being reviewed by the High Court, with a decision pending.
