Harry Files Libel Suit Against ANL

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, withdrew a libel lawsuit he had filed against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, ending a legal case that began in February 2022 over reporting on his security arrangements in the United Kingdom. The dispute arose from a February 2022 article which alleged that Prince Harry had attempted to keep his legal challenge against the UK Home Office over police protection out of public view by seeking a confidentiality order. The article also claimed that he had only offered to personally pay for police protection after initiating legal proceedings against the government. In response, Prince Harry filed a libel claim in the High Court in London, arguing that the article was defamatory. In June 2022, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that parts of the article were capable of being defamatory, allowing the case to proceed. However, the judge rejected an argument from Prince Harry’s legal team that the article accused him of lying. As the case progressed, Prince Harry sought to have ANL’s defence dismissed, but in December 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin rejected that application and ruled that the case should proceed to trial. The court also ordered Prince Harry to pay £48,447 in legal costs related to that stage of the proceedings. Following the December 2023 ruling, Prince Harry discontinued the libel claim in January 2024. As a result, he became liable for a substantial portion of ANL’s legal costs, reported to be approximately £250,000. The withdrawal brought an end to the libel case, which remained separate from his ongoing legal challenge against the UK government regarding his security arrangements while in Britain.