Duke of Sussex: Prince Harry withdraws High Court libel claim against Mail on Sunday publisher

The Duke of Sussex has withdrawn his High Court libel claim against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday. Harry, 39, sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over a February 2022 article about his legal challenge against the Home Office following a decision to change his publicly funded security arrangements when visiting the UK.

The duke’s lawyers claimed the story “purported to reveal, in sensational terms” that information from court documents “contradicted public statements he had previously made about his willingness to pay for police protection for himself and his family whilst in the UK”.

ANL contested the claim, arguing the article expressed an “honest opinion” and did not cause “serious harm” to his reputation.

In a ruling last month, the duke lost a bid to have ANL’s “honest opinion” thrown out by a judge and was ordered to pay £48,447 towards the publisher’s lawyers’ bills. A spokesperson for the publisher confirmed to the PA news agency on Friday that Harry had withdrawn his case.