Months ago Meghan Markle’s husband Prince Harry sued a British newspaper for libel, today he wins, accepts apology and damages
Prince Henry on Monday accepted an apology and damages from the publisher of the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday and its online version, MailOnline, in a defamation lawsuit related to articles about his relationship with the British armed forces.
Enrique sued Associated Newspapers for defamation over two articles published in October alleging that he had snubbed the Royal Navy after retiring as a full member of the royal family.
The articles alleged that Enrique had "not been in contact" with the force since his last appearance as an honorary sailor in March, and that military leaders were considering replacing him as captain general of the Royal Navy.
Henry served in the British Army for a decade. His attorneys said in court documents that he was "frustrated and saddened" that the articles would undermine his credibility with veterans.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, retired from their royal duties and moved to the United States in early 2019. Harry’s honorary military titles were put on hiatus and were to be reviewed in March as part of the monarchy review of the arrangements for the couple’s departure.
Attorney Jenny Afia, who represents Enrique, said the publisher accepted that the arguments that the prince had forcibly turned his back on her were false.
The articles were "unfounded, false and defamatory" and "constituted not only a personal attack on the duke’s character, but also arbitrarily questioned his service to this country," Afia said.
He noted that Enrique was "proud to have served the British armed forces for 10 years on behalf of His Majesty" and that "he has maintained active links with those forces since then and will continue to do so in the future."
After a brief remote hearing, a spokesperson for Enrique said that his "commitment to the military community is unquestionable."
The Mail on Sunday published an apology in December, but that was not enough to prevent the lawsuit.
Afia said Enrique will donate the damage compensation, the amount of which was not disclosed, to the Invictus Games Foundation, a charity for wounded or sick military men and women that he founded.
Separately, Meghan sued Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement for articles that featured passages from a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, after marrying Harry in 2018.