News group rips Harry who asks judge to rule for him in libel case

Lawyers for the publisher Associated Newspapers on Friday blasted Prince Harry’s libel claim, arguing his case is “built on sand” in response to the British royal’s recent request that a judge forego a trial and rule in his favor.

The Duke of Sussex sued Associated Newspapers Limited last year over an article in its Mail on Sunday newspaper, which claimed he tried to cover up a separate legal battle over the British government’s refusal to let him foot the bill for his own security during U.K. visits.

The 38-year-old prince (photo) and his wife, Meghan Markle, lost access to their publicly funded U.K. police protection when they stepped away from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. Harry said he has since offered to pay for his family’s protection whenever they travel to his home country, but the government rejected the offer, telling him it would be impossible.

As a result, Harry has said he does not feel safe traveling with his family, including his two young children, Prince Archie, who is almost 4, and Princess Lilibet, nearly 2.

The article at the center of the suit was published in February 2022.

The headline read: “How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then — just minutes after the story broke — his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.”

According to the lawsuit, the libelous allegation is that Harry was not honest in public statements about the conflict.

On Friday, one of Harry’s attorneys, Justin Rushbrooke, argued Associated Newspapers Limited had nothing to build a defense on and requested the judge rule in Harry’s favor and forego a trial, Reuters reported.

Associated Newspapers’ lawyer Andrew Caldecott quickly pushed back, contending the British royal’s request was “totally without merit.” He also noted that the publisher has a strong argument of “honest opinion.”