Prince Harry must be feeling mixed emotions right now. Despite winning his phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) this week, a judge has also ordered him to pay more than $60,000 in legal fees to Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd. following his failed challenge in a separate libel lawsuit. The Duke of Sussex, 39, reportedly has until December 29th to pay the $60,927.
Prince Harry's Lawsuit Against Associated Newspapers Ltd.
If you'll recall, the father-of-two was suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. over a February 2022 article published in The Mail on Sunday and on Mail Online, which suggested that he tried to hide his dispute with the U.K. Home Office over the removal of police protection after he and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals back in 2020.
Prince Harry claimed the article was "fundamentally inaccurate" and said the publication defamed him by suggesting that he lied in his initial public statements over efforts to challenge the government's decision to strip him of his security after he and his family moved to California in 2020.
Judge Says 'Mail On Sunday' Article Expressed 'An Honest Opinion' And Did Not Cause Prince Harry 'Serious Harm'
Justice Matthew Nicklin accepted Associated Newspapers' defense on Friday, December 8th in the High Court in London, which claimed the article accusing Prince Harry of misleading the public expressed an "honest opinion" and did not cause "serious harm" to King Charles' youngest son's reputation.
Nicklin ruled that Associated Newspapers has a "real prospect of succeeding," adding that Prince Harry's argument against the article expressing an "honest opinion" was "made on a very narrow basis," and did not effectively challenge claims made in the article.
"I anticipate that, at trial, the defendant may well submit that this was a masterclass in the art of 'spinning,'" Nicklin wrote, in reference to refusing to strike the honest opinion defense. "And, the defendant argues, it was successful in misleading and/or confusing the public." Nicklin reportedly said a libel trial lasting three to four days will be scheduled between May 17th and July 31st.
