LONDON: A judge of the High Court in London on Friday ruled on a newspaper article about the Prince To troubleHis legal battle with the British government over his security arrangements was defamatory, paving the way for him to take his defamation claim to trial.
harry, Queen Elizabeths grandson is suing the publisher of the Associated Newspapers Match on Sunday, for defamation over an article in February that alleged he had tried to keep secret details of his legal battle to restore his police protection, and that his associates tried to put a positive spin on him. Was.
The Associated Newspapers denied the article was offensive, and held a preliminary hearing last month to determine what a reader would conclude was the “natural and normal” meaning of the Mail story.
“I am satisfied that these meanings are defamatory in common law,” the judge, Matthew Nicklinruled.
He said the report implied that Harry had sought “far-reaching and unreasonably broad” privacy restrictions and was responsible for the statements made on his behalf rather than his public relations team, as the paper argued.
A reader would also conclude that the prince was “responsible for attempting to mislead and mislead the public as to the actual situation”, Nicklin said.
Her decision means that Harry can pursue his case, and Mel will have a chance to defend himself.
“This is the first stage in a libel claim,” Nicklin said. “It will be a matter of determination later in the proceedings whether the claim succeeds or fails, and if so, on what grounds.”
The decision comes a day after Harry’s lawyers sought permission for a judicial review of the government’s decision to provide police protection in the High Court.
The defamation case is the latest court dispute between the newspaper group and Harry, 37, and his wife Meghan40, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Last year Meghan won a claim against the Mail on Sunday after it printed excerpts from a handwritten letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
The couple now live in California with their two young children, having moved there partly because Harry said the press was destroying their mental health.
harry, Queen Elizabeths grandson is suing the publisher of the Associated Newspapers Match on Sunday, for defamation over an article in February that alleged he had tried to keep secret details of his legal battle to restore his police protection, and that his associates tried to put a positive spin on him. Was.
The Associated Newspapers denied the article was offensive, and held a preliminary hearing last month to determine what a reader would conclude was the “natural and normal” meaning of the Mail story.
“I am satisfied that these meanings are defamatory in common law,” the judge, Matthew Nicklinruled.
He said the report implied that Harry had sought “far-reaching and unreasonably broad” privacy restrictions and was responsible for the statements made on his behalf rather than his public relations team, as the paper argued.
A reader would also conclude that the prince was “responsible for attempting to mislead and mislead the public as to the actual situation”, Nicklin said.
Her decision means that Harry can pursue his case, and Mel will have a chance to defend himself.
“This is the first stage in a libel claim,” Nicklin said. “It will be a matter of determination later in the proceedings whether the claim succeeds or fails, and if so, on what grounds.”
The decision comes a day after Harry’s lawyers sought permission for a judicial review of the government’s decision to provide police protection in the High Court.
The defamation case is the latest court dispute between the newspaper group and Harry, 37, and his wife Meghan40, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Last year Meghan won a claim against the Mail on Sunday after it printed excerpts from a handwritten letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
The couple now live in California with their two young children, having moved there partly because Harry said the press was destroying their mental health.