Prince Harry Wins Defamation Case Against 'The Mail on Sunday'

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last updated 8 July 2022

Good news for Prince Harry: His latest legal battle against The Mail on Sunday has gone his way, though the case remains ongoing.

Royal reporter Omid Scobie confirmed the news via Twitter, writing, "𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: An article in The Mail on Sunday about the Prince Harry's legal claim against the British Home Office has just been ruled as defamatory by a High Court judge. The tabloid claimed he tried to keep his legal fight about security with the government 'a secret.'"

𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂: An article in The Mail on Sunday about the Prince Harry's legal claim against the British Home Office has just been ruled as defamatory by a High Court judge. The tabloid claimed he tried to keep his legal fight about security with the government “a secret”.July 8, 2022

Commenters on Scobie's tweet were overwhelmingly pleased for the Duke of Sussex. "Yeah!!!!!!!! They are fighting the good fight and they are winning the good fight," said one person. "Good for Prince Harry!" added another.

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This new win comes after the duke filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, back in February. Harry hit back at the Mail for alleging that he had hidden the fact that he was suing the U.K. government, and for alleging that he hadn't in fact offered to pay for his and his family's own police protection for their Jubilee visit.

The duke felt that visiting the U.K. posed a security threat to the Sussexes, who are no longer covered as royals, and pay for private security in the U.S. They, however, needed police protection specifically in the U.K., because officers are able to carry guns and have access to intelligence. He therefore offered to pay for his own police protection, but the Home Office denied his request. The royal is currently preparing a separate legal battle against the government body over this.

This first win amid the ongoing case comes after Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, won her own lawsuit against Associated Newspapers last year for breach of privacy, scoring a front-page apology from the paper.

This article has been updated to reflect that the case is still ongoing.

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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 British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. 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.