Prince Harry Withdraws Libel Claim Against Publisher of Mail on Sunday

Prince Harry has dropped his libel lawsuit against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, Associated Newspapers.

The Duke of Sussex originally filed the suit in response to an article questioning his security costs after he stopped being a senior royal.

The paper claimed he decided to abandon the case shortly before a court-imposed deadline and might face the publisher's legal expenses, with tentative figures around £250,000, although the final costs remain undecided.

The disputed article revolved around the prince's legal actions concerning changes to his security funding by the Home Office, following his move to the U.S. In light of withdrawing the libel claim, Harry is prioritizing his family's safety and his separate case against the Home Office, while continuing to challenge the same publisher (Associated Newspapers) over alleged illegal information gathering. This is still set for trial.

Harry has recently succeeded in winning damages in a related case with the Daily Mirror over phone hacking. His lawyers had unsuccessfully attempted to dismiss parts of Associated Newspapers' defense, which maintained the original article represented "honest opinion" and did not seriously harm Harry's reputation.

This is but one of several ongoing legal battles Harry faces, including a claim against the Home Office over his UK security level, further proceedings against Associated Newspapers, pending litigation with News Group Newspapers, and additional hearings related to the recent phone-hacking judgement against Mirror Group Newspapers.