The Duke of Sussex filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over a February 2022 article by the Daily Mail, alleging that it "attacked his honesty and integrity" in reporting on his court battle against the Home Office.
In court filings, the author of "Spare" argued that the article constituted "an attack on his honesty and integrity."
ANL countered the claim, asserting that the article merely expressed an "honest opinion" and caused "no serious harm" to his reputation.
Harry appealed to the High Court to either dismiss ANL's defense or grant judgment in his favor.
However, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled against "striking out" ANL's defense in a written statement.
He stated: "Overall, it is not fanciful that the defendant will be successful, at trial, in demonstrating that the public statements issued on the claimant’s behalf sought to promote the judicial review claim as his battle against the Government’s (perverse) decision to refuse to allow him to pay for his own security."
"There is a real prospect that the defendant will succeed in demonstrating that this was a misleading description of the issues in the judicial review claim, arguably promoted because it was hoped to show the claimant’s judicial review claim in a positive light," he added. "A portrayal of the judicial review claim as the claimant trying to force the Government to reinstate his, taxpayer-funded, state security risked his appearing in a negative light."
Prince Harry recently faced trial after contesting the Home Office's decision to withdraw security for him and his family during their visits to the UK.
This decision, made by the RAVEC committee in the royal household, followed the duke and his wife Meghan Markle's departure from the Royal Family in 2020.
