Prince Harrymay be called to give evidence in London court next year after losing an attempt to have theMail on Sunday’s defense of his libel lawsuit thrown out.
On Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin said in his judgment that the Duke of Sussex’s lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) over a 2022 article alleging that he only offered to pay for police protection after bringing a separate legal fight against the British government should proceed to trial. ANL is the publisher of theDaily MailandMail on Sunday.
In March, his legal team argued that Harry had initially offered to pay for police protection at a meeting at Sandringham with his grandmotherQueen Elizabeth, his fatherKing Charlesand elder brotherPrince Williamin January 2020. The much-discussed meeting, since dubbed “theSandringham Summit,” brought the family members together to discuss what Prince Harry andMeghan Markle’s future might look like after they announced their intention to step back from their senior royal roles.
Prince Harry exits the Rolls Building at High Court in London on June 7.Carl Court/Getty
Carl Court/Getty
“The Defendant [ANL] has a real prospect, at trial, of demonstrating that the Duke of Sussex had not made an offer to the Government to pay for his security before he began his proceedings for judicial review,” the British High Court judge announced, per theBBC.
According to the outlet, theMail on Sundayis arguing that Prince Harry did not extend the offer to the government after the Sandringham meeting and only pitched the idea after initiating the claim for a judicial review. Reuters recapped that the report accused the prince of “attempting to mislead the public about his willingness to pay for the policing,” noting that the protection was pulled after the step back in 2020.
Looking ahead, the BBC said that ANL can use the honest opinion defense, which protects individuals or organizations from being held liable for defamation in litigation where statements are made as opinions, not false statements of fact, and a trial is now expected to be held in 2024.
Over the weekend,The Sunday Timesreported thatQueen Elizabeth’s private secretary Sir Edward Young wrote to U.K. cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill on the Queen’s behalf following the 2020 Sandringham Summitexpressing that it was “imperative”the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued to receive “effective security.’
The update comes after the Duke of Sussexstressed his concernsabout his family’s safety in the U.K. as part of another lawsuit.
As part of a three-day hearing in London last week, Prince Harry’s lawyers shared a statement from the Duke of Sussex, who did not appear in court. Prince Harry said he “felt forced” tostep back from his royal roleand leave the U.K. in 2020, citing security concerns for his family: his wife Meghan and their two children, sonPrince Archie, 4, and daughterPrincess Lilibet, 2.
“I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too,” he continued.
Joshua Sammer/Getty
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The Duke of Sussex’s legal team has previously stated that he “does not feel safe” bringing his two children to the U.K.
Ben-prince-harry-Archie-Lilibet-meghan-030423-01-5c11008582af48af838724db0e5fad8f.jpg.Netflix/Youtube
“Of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart,” his lawyer Shaheed Fatimasaidin 2022 at the Royal Courts of Justice. “Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home.”
Since their move to Meghan’s home state of California in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have brought their children to the U.K. just once: in 2022 when they attended Queen Elizabeth’sPlatinum Jubilee celebrationsandmarked Lili’s first birthdayat Frogmore Cottage, their former U.K. home in Windsor.
Audiences got a glimpse of the family there together there in the docuseriesHarry & Meghanon Netflix, which premiered one year ago.
source: people.com
