Britain's High Court sues newspapers that may have misrepresented Prince Harry

Details of the Duke of Sussex's latest legal case against the publishers of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday have been revealed at a British High Court hearing.
Prince Harry is suing Associated Newspapers Limited, ANN, for defamation over an article published in February about a court dispute over his family's security arrangements.
His lawyer said the story "falsely" indicated that he "lied" and tried "sarcastically" to manipulate public opinion.
But ANN said the article contained "no indication of impropriety" and was not defamatory.
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The story, which was published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and online, referred to the prince's separate legal case against the Home Office over security arrangements when he and his family are in Britain.

In a written statement to the preliminary hearing on Thursday, Prince Harry said the article had caused "significant harm, embarrassment and ongoing distress".
The prince's lawyer said the article suggested the prince "lied in his initial public statements" by claiming he had always been willing to pay for police protection in Britain. Mr Rushbrook said the story indicated he had "made such an offer only recently, after his feud had begun and after his visit to Britain in June 2021".

The lawyer added that the Mail on Sunday story alleged that Harry "inappropriately and sarcastically tried to manipulate and confuse public opinion, by allowing (his media advisors) to make false and misleading statements about his willingness to pay for police protection immediately after the Mail on Sunday revealed that he was suing the government".

He said the story also alleged that the prince "tried to keep his legal battle with the government a secret from the public, including the fact that he expected British taxpayers to pay for his protection from the police, in an inappropriate manner that demonstrated a lack of transparency on his part".

ANN disputes this claim and the company's lawyer said the print and electronic versions of the article were "fundamentally identical" and were not "defamatory" of Prince Harry in the eyes of a "rational reader".
"There is no indication of misconduct in any reasonable reading of the article," he said. "The plaintiff was not portrayed as seeking to keep the entire case confidential...The article does not accuse the plaintiff of lying in his initial statement, about his offer to pay for his security."
"The article alleges that the plaintiff's PR team orchestrated the story (or added excessive gloss in the plaintiff's favour) resulting in inaccurate reporting and confusion about the nature of the allegation," the publishing company's attorney continued. He does not claim dishonesty against them.”

Prince Harry and his wife Megan attended the celebrations marking the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne
Judge Matthew Nicklin presided over Thursday's hearing and must now decide a number of The things Before proceeding with the case, including the meaning of parts of the article, whether it is a statement of fact or opinion, and whether it is defamatory. His verdict will be issued at a later date.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced last year that they would step down as "senior members" of the royal family and work to achieve financial independence, dividing their time between the United States and Britain.
Last year, Harry accepted an apology and "substantial damages" from ANN after he sued it for defamation over allegations he had "turned his back" on the Royal Marines.

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His wife Megan also won claiming Privacy against the company after the Mail on Sunday published a handwritten letter, which Meghan sent to her father Thomas Markle in 2018.
Last weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan attended their first royal event since leaving Britain, at St Paul's Cathedral to mark the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne.

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