Prince Harry Ramps Up U.K. Tabloid Lawsuit as Netflix Doc Slams Media

Prince Harry is seeking a quick, emphatic win in a tabloid libel lawsuit about his security, following in Meghan Markle's footsteps.

The Duke of Sussex is suing The Mail on Sunday for defamation over a story about a story accusing him of PR "spin" in his campaign to get his Metropolitan Police bodyguards reinstated.

A newly released filing at the High Court in London shows Harry applied in November to settle the case quickly through a process known as "summary judgment." Lawyers will argue his corner during a hearing set to take place sometime between February 1 and April 5, 2023.

The move, lodged on November 29, came less than two weeks before the release of his Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan. The first three episodes, released on December 8, were heavily critical of the British media.

Prince Harry's Libel Lawsuit Over Police Protection

The prince was stripped of his Metropolitan Police bodyguards by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) of the U.K. Home Office in 2020 after quitting royal duties.

He sued the British government in a judicial review filed at the High Court in London in an effort to overturn the decision then later filed a further defamation case on the back of a write-up by The Mail on Sunday in February 2022.

The tabloid's headline read: "REVEALED: How Harry tried to keep his legal fight over bodyguards secret....then minutes after MoS broke story his PR machine tried to put positive spin on the dispute."

A statement from Harry's legal representative in January 2022 had argued Harry was willing to pay for his own police team.

The newspaper quoted a Home Office court filing noting that Harry's offer to pay had not formed part of early discussions between him and the Home Office about his lawsuit.

The article read: "The revelations are a crushing rebuttal to Harry's initial public statement that implied he had always been willing to foot the bill."

Lawyers for the royal accused the newspaper of "distortion and misrepresentation of the facts" after the story failed to include a line of the January statement which said his offer to pay was first made to the royals at Sandringham two years previously, in January 2020.

The statement from his legal representative read: "The Duke first offered to pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020 at Sandringham. That offer was dismissed. He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer."

It added that without police protection, it would not be safe for Harry, Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor to return to Britain.

A trial before a judge, with no jury, has now been set over three to four days for a date between October 3, 2023, and March 27, 2024. However, it will not take place if Harry's summary judgment application succeeds.

Prince Harry Applies for Summary Judgment

Prince Harry has gone down the same path as Meghan in seeking to bring a swift end to proceedings before the need to disclose evidence to the other side, a process that led to some embarrassing revelations when the duchess sued the same newspaper.

Meghan took the MoS to court for breach of privacy and copyright and won in December 2021 but only after she had been forced to apologize for misleading the court.

In the same witness statement, she revealed the case had at points been so stressful she feared experiencing a miscarriage while pregnant with Lilibet.

In that lawsuit, Meghan's application for summary judgment only came after a series of initial skirmishes whereas Harry has sought to close down the argument at an earlier stage, which if successful could contain his own reputational exposure.

A court filing, seen by Newsweek, reads: "[Prince Harry's] strike out/summary judgment application dated 21 November 2022 is to be listed before a Judge in the Media & Communications List for 1 day between 1 February 2023 and 5 April 2023."

Harry & Meghan Netflix Documentary on the Media

Harry's move in his lawsuit came as the couple's long-awaited first outing with Netflix hit screens for the first time on December 8.

The first three episodes, out of a total of six, accused the media of hounding the couple, as well as Harry's mother Princess Diana.

Harry told the show: "I feel as though being part of this family, it is my duty to uncover this exploitation and bribery that happens within our media."

There will likely be more to come in Part II, due for release on December 15, when trailers suggest Harry will say: "There's leaking but there's also planting of stories."

Royal watchers will be waiting to see whether Harry's comments in the final three episodes go beyond his well-established criticisms of the press to level allegations at the royals themselves.