Prince Harry has launched a High Court libel action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
According to court documents, the Duke of Sussex filed a claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
It’s understood Harry’s claim relates to an article published by the UK Mail On Sunday on February 20, 2022.
The story was relating to the father-of-two’s ongoing fight to reinstate his police protection in the UK.
The article’s headline read: “Revealed: How Harry tried to keep his legal fight over bodyguards secret.”
Royal correspondent Omid Scobie tweeted: “Harry’s court filing details action against the Mail on Sunday (who are currently paying out substantial damages to Meghan) over a ‘defamatory’ report claiming he lied about offering to pay for police protection in June and tried to hide his Home Office litigation.”
𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: Harry’s court filing details action against the Mail on Sunday (who are currently paying out substantial damages to Meghan) over a “defamatory” report claiming he lied about offering to pay for police protection in June and tried to hide his Home Office litigation. pic.twitter.com/yGtbAsk2Wj
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) February 24, 2022
The news comes just two months after the same newspaper was forced to print a front-page statement acknowledging Meghan Markle’s copyright victory against them.
The Duchess of Sussex sued the newspaper’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), over five articles that reproduced parts of a “private letter” she sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018.
The 40-year-old won the case in February 2021, after the High Court ruled that the publication of her letter was unlawful.
But months later, Associated Newspapers challenged that ruling at the Court of Appeal in London, arguing the case should go to a trial.
Their appeal was supported by new evidence from Jason Knauf, the former communications secretary to the Sussexes, who claimed the Duchess wrote the letter with the understanding it may become public.
Despite presenting new evidence in court, the publisher’s appeal was dismissed following a three-day hearing in November.
Following Meghan’s victory, the publisher was ordered to print a statement on the front page of the Mail On Sunday and a notice on page three of the paper stating it “infringed her copyright”.
The statement was printed on the front page of the UK Mail On Sunday on December 26, and it read: “The Duchess of Sussex wins her legal case for copyright infringement against Associated Newspapers for articles published in The Mail on Sunday and posted on Mail Online – SEE PAGE 3.”
On page three of the paper, under the heading ‘The Duchess of Sussex’, it said: “Following a hearing on 19-20 January, 2021, and a further hearing on 5 May, 2021, the Court has given judgment for the Duchess of Sussex on her claim for copyright infringement.”
“The Court found that Associated Newspapers infringed her copyright by publishing extracts of her handwritten letter to her father in The Mail on Sunday and on Mail Online. Financial remedies have been agreed.”
