Prince Harry could soon lose £1.2 million, here's why

Prince Harry issuing Associated Newspapers Limited over an article concerning his case against the Home Office concerning the Sussexes security arrangements when in the UK.

What we know so far

Evening Standard reports that Prince Harry is suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article about his case against the Home Office regarding security arrangements for him and his family when they are in the UK.

The article in question was published in February under the following headline:

Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then – just minutes after the story broke – his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute

ANL contests the claim stating the article expressed an ‘honest opinion’ and didn’t cause ‘serious harm’ to the Prince’s reputation.

However, in July, a judge ruled in Prince Harry’s favour finding the article was defamatory. Mr Justice Nicklin said:

It may be possible to ‘spin’ facts in a way that does not mislead, but the allegation being made in the article was very much that the object was to mislead the public.

Read more:

⋙ Prince Harry wins defamation case against The Mail on Sunday

A potential settlement?

According to Evening Standard, Prince Harry’s libel case against Mail on Sunday has been halted temporarily to see if an out-of-court settlement can be reached.

Judge Barbara Fontaine was informed at a preliminary hearing that the Duke of Sussex and ANL have agreed to continue negotiating to reach a settlement until January 20th.

However, if both parties can’t settle, the publication claims that the Duke of Sussex will ask the court to either strike out ANL’s defence or give summary judgment in his favour. This will avoid a trial.

An expensive lawsuit

The High Court has heard that the total cost of Prince Harry’s libel case against Mail on Sunday is estimated at £1.2 million. During Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, Prince Harry’s legal team announced they would seek to claim back just over £630,000 of the £1.2 million.

ANL declared that the costs were ‘wholly disproportionate’ and estimated its own costs at £500,000. Prince Harry’s legal team tried to argue that the increased costs were due to the high-profile nature of the case and immense public interest.

However, Judge Fontaine seemed to agree with ANL and decided that the overall costs were ‘extremely high’, and a ‘substantial reduction’ was needed.

Therefore, if Prince Harry wins the claim, the recoverable amount is set at £341,739, which doesn’t amount to half the sum sought by the Duke.

Read more:

⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle take private jet to event where tickets cost $1 million

Sources used:

- Evening Standard: Harry’s libel claim against Mail on Sunday paused for settlement discussions

- The Telegraph: ‘Prince Harry’s fight against Mail on Sunday will cost him £1.2m’