A judge of thesupreme court of london decided this Friday (8) that a newspaper article about the legal battle of the prince harry with the British government over his security arrangements is defamatory, paving the way for him to bring his defamation charge to trial.
Harry, grandson of queen elizabeth II is suing the Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday, for defamation over an article in February alleging that the prince had tried to keep details of his legal dispute secret to restore his police protection, and that his aides then tried to put a positive spin on it.
The Associated Newspapers denied that the story was defamatory, and a preliminary hearing was held last month to determine what a reader would conclude is the “natural and common” meaning of the Mail’s report.
“I am convinced that these meanings are defamatory in common law,” Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled.
He said the report implied that Harry had sought “far-reaching and unjustifiably broad” confidentiality restrictions and was responsible for statements made on his behalf rather than his PR team, as the paper had argued.
A reader would also conclude that the prince “was responsible for trying to mislead and confuse the public as to his true position,” Nicklin said.
The ruling means Harry can move forward with his case, and the Mail will have a chance to present a defence.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
