Prince Harry Has Filed a Libel Claim Against Associated Newspapers

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published 25 February 2022

Welp. Prince Harry has once again filed a legal claim against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

This time, the Duke of Sussex is fighting back after the latter paper made allegedly "defamatory" claims about the royal's fight to obtain adequate security for himself and his family in the U.K.

"A spokesperson for the Sussexes confirms that Prince Harry has filed a legal complaint against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online," royal reporter Omid Scobie tweeted.

"Expect further details of Harry’s libel action against ANL over the coming weeks as documents filed with the British High Court become available to the public domain," Scobie continued.

"The news follows Mail on Sunday recently breaking several stories about Harry’s ongoing efforts to fund police protection while in the UK. In January 2021 the Duke settled a defamation suit against the same paper over false stories about his relationship with the armed forces."

The suit in question ended with the duke receiving "substantial damages" from the news conglomerate, for stories it had published which implied he had "turned his back" on the British Armed Forces.

Scobie later added the following information: "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."

The Duchess of Sussex won a court case against ANL in late 2021.

Prince Harry's new legal action is hitting back at a Mail story that alleged that he a. tried to hide that he had launched litigation against the U.K. Home Office from public knowledge, and b. that he lied about having requested to pay for police protection himself when visiting his birth country.

Writing in Harper's Bazaar, Scobie explained that the Sussexes need to be granted official police protection in Britain, because private bodyguards don't have clearance to carry a gun in the country, and don't have access to important security intelligence.

The duke has previously made it clear that he, his wife, and their children need proper security when visiting the U.K. simply because he was born a royal—which inherently poses a risk to his safety.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.