Prince Harry has secured a major win in his current court battle over defamation allegations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a High Court judge in London has ruled in favor of Harry’s claims that portions of an article in The Mail on Sunday about his legal accusations against the U.K. government’s Home Office were defamatory. In February, the Duke of Sussex filed a claim against Associated Newspapers Limited — the newspaper’s publisher — after an article, his legal representatives alleged, caused “serious damage to his reputation and substantial hurt, embarrassment and distress, which is continuing.”
Per ITV, the judge who ruled in favor of the estranged Royal Family member said: “It may be possible to ‘spin’ facts in a way that does not mislead, but the allegation being made in the article was very much that the object was to mislead the public.” The judge later concluded: “That supplies the necessary element to make the meanings defamatory at common law.” In his case against the British government, Harry is hoping for a judicial review that would require them to provide him and his family with official security. This includes his wife Meghan Markle, and their two children: Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.
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Harry and Markle have indicated that they’d pay for the security, but would like it to be provided from the Home Office. The Royal prince’s attorneys have argued that the family is “unable to return” to England due to potential danger. In a previous court filing, Harry’s lawyers wrote, “On Dec. 21, 2021, [The Home Office] asked RAVEC to determine in principle whether an individual whose position had been determined by RAVEC not to justify Protective Security should be permitted to receive Protective Security but to reimburse the public purse for the cost of that security.”
They added, “On Jan. 24, 2022, RAVEC took the decision that State security should not be available on a privately financed basis.” The legal reps also stated, “[Prince Harry] has engaged in pre-action correspondence for a proposed second judicial review claim in relation to these matters, and intends to issue that claim shortly.” Notably, Markle previously sued Associated Newspapers, herself, and was successful.
The former actress filed a lawsuit after the outlet published a handwritten letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle. The letter was regarding their deteriorated relationship around the time she wed Harry. Markle won the case and was awarded 1 pound in damages. She was also given an undisclosed sum that was immediately donated to one or more charitable organizations.
