Prince Harry has been ordered to pay the Mail on Sunday’s £50,000 costs, after losing the latest round of his libel court battle.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over a February 2022 article about his legal challenge against the Home Office over his security detail in the UK.
The article was headlined: “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.”
ANL defended the article, and argued that it expressed an “honest opinion” and did not cause “serious harm” to his reputation.
The 39-year-old previously attempted to have their defence struck out.
But in a written ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Nicklin refused to “strike out” ANL’s defence, stating that the publisher had a “real prospect” of arguing its case.
The Duke of Sussex has now been ordered to pay the newspaper’s costs of £48,447 by December 29.
If a settlement is not reached by both parties, a libel trial will take place next year.
