A judge ordered Prince Harry on Monday to pay more than $60,000 in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid for his failed court challenge in a libel lawsuit.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. over an article that said Harry tried to hide his efforts to retain publicly funded protection in the U.K. after leaving his role as a working member of the royal family.
Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled Friday in the High Court in London that the publisher has a “real prospect” of showing that statements issued on Harry’s behalf were misleading and that the February 2022 article reflected an “honest opinion” and wasn’t libelous.
“The defendant may well submit that this was a masterclass in the art of ‘spinning,’” Nicklin wrote, refusing to strike the honest opinion defense.
The younger son of King Charles III has claimed the article was “fundamentally inaccurate” and the newspaper defamed him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statements over efforts to challenge the government’s decision to strip him of his security detail after he and his wife, Meghan, moved to the U.S. in 2020.
Harry, 39, also has a lawsuit pending against the government’s decision to protect him on a case-by-case basis when he visits Britain.
He claims that hostility toward him and his wife on social media and relentless hounding by the news media threaten their safety.
Nicklin said a libel trial lasting three to four days will be scheduled between May 17 and July 31.
The Duke of Sussex must pay lawyers’ bills run up by the publisher of The Mail on Sunday after losing the latest stage of a High Court libel battle, a judge says https://t.co/aw71882zhp
— Standard News (@standardnews) December 11, 2023
The $60,927 in legal fees Harry was ordered to pay by Dec. 29 is likely to be dwarfed by the amount paid to lawyers in another lawsuit the duke has brought against the publisher.
Should Harry have stayed in Britain?
Associated Newspapers is one of three British tabloid publishers he’s suing over claims they used unlawful means, such as deception, phone hacking or hiring private investigators, to try to dig up dirt on him.
The Daily Mail publisher failed last month in its bid to throw out that lawsuit, though it prevailed in getting some evidence barred from trial.
Nicklin — who is also hearing that case — is considering what to award in lawyer’s costs for each party’s respective wins.
Harry and co-claimants — who include musician Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley — said they spent $2.1 million to prepare for and argue their case at a hearing over several days in March.
PRESS RELEASE: Various Claimants vs. Associated Newspapers Limited pic.twitter.com/ts8iZkhA2m
— Byline Investigates (@BInvestigates) October 6, 2022
The publisher, meanwhile, is seeking up to $949,000.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
