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Prince Harry is celebrating after winning the first stage of his legal claim against a British tabloid this week, Variety reports. The Duke of Sussex filed a claim against The Mail's publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over several articles that he believes caused "serious damage to his reputation and substantial hurt, embarrassment and distress which is continuing.”
A judge ruled on Friday, July 8th, that The Mail articles about Harry were defamatory. However, the newspaper can still try to defend the articles by proving they were true. “This is very much the first phase in a libel claim,” Judge Nicklin said, according to the BBC. “The next step will be for the defendant to file a defense to the claim. It will be a matter for determination later in the proceedings whether the claim succeeds or fails, and if so on what basis.”
At the center of the lawsuit is a series of articles The Mail published about another legal claim Harry is pursuing against the UK's Home Office. Harry is seeking a judicial review in order to demand the government provide police protection for himself and his family which includes his two young children with Meghan Markle, Archie and Lilibet. The family lost their protection after the couple stepped back from official duties in 2020.
When The Mail reported on the case, they implied that he offered to pay for the security himself, which Harry claims isn't true. According to Variety, the story ran under the headline: "Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight over bodyguards a secret… then minutes after MoS broke the story his PR machine tried to put positive spin on the dispute.”