Harry’s legal battle against Associated Newspapers has seen yet another twist this week, as he failed in a bid to have the defence to his libel claim thrown out. The high-profile case was brought against the media giant by the Duke of Sussex, who accused them of ‘knowingly deceiving’ their readers by publishing an article in The Times back in October 2019.
The sensational article, titled “Lies, malice and fairy tales,” claimed that Harry had snubbed invitations from the Queen and had made “disrespectful” comments about President Donald Trump. In a statement issued by lawyers acting on behalf of Harry, he rejected the claims as being false and “a deliberate falsehood”.
Harry has now made a claim for libel against Associated Newspapers, arguing that the publication caused or is likely to cause serious harm to his reputation. Associated Newspapers has responded by filing a defence to the claim, in which it maintains that its reporting was substantially true and in the public interest.
This week, however, Harry sought to have the defence thrown out on the grounds that it had “no real prospect of success”. He argued, in effect, that it was frivolous and vexatious and had no realistic basis in law. The application was, however, rejected by the court, with the judge ruling that Associated Newspapers had made a “reasonable case” to be tried and thus had the right to have its defence heard.
The judge noted that the case was a high-profile one, but that the defence had been “carefully drafted and supported by witness statements”, meaning that it was not appropriate to “strike it out summarily”. This means that Harry will now proceed to trial, with reports suggesting that the hearing could take place as soon as December.
The libel case is a significant one, given that Harry is seeking substantial damages from Associated Newspapers. Should he be successful, then the media giant could be forced to pay out millions of pounds. It is, therefore, no surprise that the matter has been so fiercely contested.
Harry may have failed this week in his bid to have Associated Newspapers’ defence struck out, but it is far from the end of the matter. With the court case set to go ahead later this year, all eyes are now on Harry to see whether he is successful in his libel claim. It is a case that will no doubt attract global attention and it is one that could have massive implications for press freedom and freedom of speech in the UK.
