Prince Harry may be called to give evidence in London court next year after losing an attempt to have the Mail 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 the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Prince Harry, 39, tried to have ANL’s defense dismissed earlier this year and now must pay the newspaper’s costs of $60,796.87 by Dec. 29, Sky News reported on Monday. According to the outlet, a libel trial will be held between May and July of 2024 if a settlement is not reached by both parties.
In March, his legal team argued that Harry had initially offered to pay for police protection at a meeting at Sandringham with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, his father King Charles and elder brother Prince William in January 2020. The much-discussed meeting, since dubbed ” the Sandringham Summit,” brought the family members together to discuss what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s future might look like after they announced their intention to step back from their senior royal roles.
