Prince Harry has been accused of not knowing “how things work” surrounding a major British law – after he lost an attempt to get a newspaper’s defence in his libel case against them thrown out.
The Duke of Sussex was in court over the publication of an article in February 2022 about his legal challenge against the Home Office, following a decision to scale back his publicly funded security when visiting the UK.
The article claimed that he “tried to keep details of his legal battle to reinstate his police protection secret from the public”. Prince Harry’s lawyers called it “an attack on his honesty and integrity” and would affect his ongoing work to tackle misinformation online.
The panel of the Talk on Talk TV discussed Prince Harry’s loss with journalist Daisy McAndrew, who said: “Prince Harry really doesn’t seem to know how things work. There is freedom of the press in this country.
“(Journalists) are allowed to have an honestly held opinion, no matter whether you don’t like it or you disagree with it or you even think it’s wrong, (they) are still allowed to have an opinion.”
She added: “I’ve come back to that point about advisors and about whether they’re giving him the right advice.”
Associated Newspapers Limited, which published the Mail on Sunday, has since claimed that the story was an “honest opinion” and did not cause “serious harm” to the Duke’s reputation.
Fellow panellist Esther Krakue agreed with McAndrew and asked if Harry was “lost” since leaving the royal family. She said: “The royal family spun the loveable Prince Harry brilliantly.
“He was the lovable ginger kid who even when he wore a Nazi costume the public still loved him. He could do no wrong. But the second he left the royal family, he became so unlikeable on every level.”
Jonny Gould noted what a shame it was that Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals in 2020. He said: “I thought they did an absolutely fantastic job (as working royals)… and everyone looked like they were welcoming this new texture to the royal family.
“Then suddenly they blow themselves up and go away. And here he is fighting libel, royals don’t do this kind of thing.”
But journalist JJ Anisiobi disagreed with the panel, saying: “I don’t think he’s lost, I think he’s found his voice. And people don’t like that. He’s found something that he’s passionate about and that he wants to fight for. He’s not the loveable young rogue he was, he’s a man.”
The libel case by Prince Harry against Associated Newspapers Limited will go to trial next year.
