Prince Harry withdraws libel claim against Mail on Sunday publisher

Prince Harry has withdrawn his libel claim against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

The 39-year-old royal was set to go to trial against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article written in February 2022 about his legal battle with the Home Office over a decision to downgrade his protective security during U.K. visits.

However, a spokesperson for ANL confirmed on Friday that Harry had dropped his case.

An article on the Mail Online reads, "The Duke of Sussex abandoned his case just hours before a deadline for his lawyers to pass over a list of relevant documents.

"Harry's lawyers informed the newspaper it had filed a notice with the court stating: 'The Duke of Sussex discontinues all of this claim.'"

According to the article, Harry would be liable for the publisher's legal costs of $317,000 (£250,000) as well as his own lawyers' fees.

In the 2022 Mail on Sunday piece, the reporter claimed that the Duke of Sussex tried to keep details of the legal challenge secret to "mislead and confuse the public".

Harry's lawyers called the allegation "an attack on his honesty and integrity", while ANL's legal team insisted it was simply an "honest opinion" that did not cause "serious harm" to the royal's reputation.

Last month, the Duke of Sussex lost his bid to get ANL's "honest opinion" defence thrown out and was ordered to pay $61,400 (£48,447) towards the publisher's legal fees.

A spokesperson for Harry has yet to comment on Friday's decision.