Royal legal battle
Prince Harry withdraws libel lawsuit against publisher
After the lawsuit was withdrawn, Prince Harry is still involved in four further cases at the London High Court. photo
© Alberto Pezzali/AP
Prince Harry has been waging a legal campaign against the British tabloid media for a long time – sometimes with success. But in one case the royal is now giving up.
Harry saw his reputation damaged. He was accused in the text of giving a false impression about his willingness to pay for his police protection in Great Britain.
Expensive legal fees
In December 2023, a judge rejected Harry’s request for an accelerated procedure because the publisher had a chance of success in court. The royal then had to pay the other side’s legal fees amounting to 48,447 pounds (56,430 euros).
Now Harry has withdrawn the entire lawsuit, as the “Mail” (Online) reported on Friday. The British news agency PA reported that a corresponding notification had been received by the court. According to the “Mail”, he is now facing further six-figure legal fees.
In a response, Harry’s representatives did not directly address the withdrawal. “As is the case with legal proceedings, years have passed since the complaint was filed,” PA quoted a statement as saying. We are still waiting for a result regarding the actual lawsuit against the British Home Office.
“His focus remains there and on the safety of his family, and not on these legal proceedings that continue to provide a platform for the Mail’s false claims from all those years ago,” it said.
Further procedure to protect the family
In the proceedings against the Home Office, Harry wants to ensure that he and his family are granted full police protection despite leaving the inner circle of the British royals. Otherwise, Harry argues, he will no longer be able to easily come to Britain with his family.
A committee had previously decided that personal protection for the Duke of Sussex, as Harry is usually called in Great Britain, and his family would be downgraded. A verdict in this case is still pending.
After the withdrawal of the lawsuit, Harry is still involved in a total of four cases at the London High Court. These include another lawsuit against ANL as well as proceedings against the publishers Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN, “Daily Mirror”, “Sunday Mirror” and “Sunday People”) and News Group Newspapers (“The Sun”), which published the tabloid that was discontinued years ago “News Of The World” had published.
This involves illegal information gathering. Harry and other celebrities accuse the media of, among other things, listening to their mailboxes without permission. Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages in the MGN case but is due to have another hearing in the spring.