Faced with the daunting task of paying bills totaling £750,000, Prince Harry faced a setback when he chose to withdraw a libel claim against the Mail on Sunday. This admission of defeat coincided with the day he was due to present a list of documents to the court. Inside sources reveal Prince Harry dropped libel case over article alleging his PR aides tried to manipulate a dispute with the Home Office over the downgrading of his government-funded police protection taxpayers.
The Duke of Sussex is now grappling with the financial burden of legal costs estimated at £750,000. Instead of meeting the deadline for submitting legal documents, Prince Harry chose to withdraw the case just before his legal team was required to submit a list of files at 10 a.m. today. The Duke's lawyer informed the High Court that the case had been dropped, signaling an unexpected turn of events.
Harry initially sued the Mail on Sunday for defamation, claiming the article wrongly accused him of trying to mislead the public. His legal team at Schillings was confident enough in their case to seek a ruling in Harry's favor without a trial. However, last month Mr Justice Nicklin rejected this application, ruling that the newspaper had a real chance of showing that the statements made on Harry's behalf were misleading.
The ruling meant the case was progressing to a defamation trial, following the normal court procedure where both parties were obliged to disclose relevant documents to each other. However, the decision to drop the case was made at the last minute and today marked the deadline for the release of a list of relevant documents.
Sources suggest the abrupt removal could be linked to Meghan Markle's alleged partnership with the Daily Mail, claiming she was behind the PR articles. The claim is that Harry stepped down under orders from his wife because Meghan was allegedly being blackmailed by the Daily Mail over a contractual agreement. It is suggested that Harry knew he could not win the case and might have been forced to forgo communications with journalists. The argument is that the Mail on Sunday bluffed, revealing what is considered a weak case. The decision to drop the case is seen as a move to avoid further scrutiny and possible damage to his public image.
Separately, a royal expert has revealed Britain's King Charles' true feelings for his estranged son Prince Harry amid the monarch's health problems. King Charles biographer Robert Hardman believes that father and son will repair their relationship because the door is always open. Speaking to Newsweek, Hardman said: “Yes, in a way. I don't know how or when. Certainly, on this side of the Atlantic the door is always open, and there's so much going on other things. Charles would do it. I love having him back in the fold, not being royal anymore. I think that ship has sailed, and I'm sure Harry wouldn't want to do that. These claims come just days after that Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would be treated in hospital this week for an enlarged prostate, stating that “like thousands of men each year, the King sought treatment for an enlarged prostate “.
