Prince Harry’s lawyers say a UK tabloid “has done a great deal of damage to his reputation”, impairing his ability to help veterans and making them “susceptible to suicide”, Newsweek can reveal.
The Duke of Sussex is suing O Mail on Sunday for defamation after the newspaper accused him of turning his back on the Royal Marines in an October 15 article.
Harry was captain-general until he departed from royal duties for a new life in America with Meghan Markle in late March.
Yet, O Mail on Sunday he claimed that he “had not maintained contact by phone, letter or e-mail” with the Royal Marines since then.
Prince Harry’s lawyers say the “poorly researched and one-sided article” has caused force personnel to doubt his commitment.
Their action goes so far as to say that the military community will be “more susceptible to suicide” due to the impact on its own ability to promote mental health services.
The newspaper is the same as wife Meghan Markle is suing for privacy and copyright infringement over a letter she sent to her father.
Max Mumby / Getty
The judicial process, seen by Newsweek, reads: “[Prince Harry’s] The sincere ambition is to continue to help current and former military personnel using their reputation and the platform they have as a result of their military service.
“This role depends substantially on [Prince Harry] using their reputation to help these causes, attracting public support for them.
“Publishing the complaints that they complain about will seriously impair their ability to do so and will therefore have an adverse effect on the people he seeks to help.
“[Prince Harry] In particular, he used his reputation to support and encourage current and former military personnel to seek help for mental health problems.
“The publications claimed will decrease [Prince Harry’s] credibility in the eyes of such staff and therefore make them less likely to seek the help that is being offered.
“[Prince Harry] fears that this, in turn, will have devastating effects on these individuals, including making them more susceptible to suicide. “
Prince Harry’s lawyers say he did not have the opportunity to comment on the allegations after his representatives were contacted less than three hours before the article was posted online.
The Mail on Sunday it is one of a series of newspapers with which Meghan and Prince Harry have banned the communication of their representatives.
Mail Online published its article shortly after midnight, requesting a comment after 9 pm.
The process reports that it is not known whether, at the time of sending the e-mail, the article “had already been published in these editions of the Mail on Sunday that went to print. “
Harry’s lawyers wrote: “[Prince Harry] he was personally affronted and caused enormous damage to his reputation due to the publication of the reported words. “
They add: “Even in [Prince Harry’s] current knowledge of the relevant chronology, it is obvious that he had no or no effective opportunity to respond and defend himself against the very serious allegations that [the Mail on Sunday] went on to publish about it.
“This was manifestly unfair and violated the most basic journalistic standards.
“He showed total contempt for [Prince Harry’s] reputation, for its version of events and, therefore, for justice and truth. “
The court case says the allegations were presented as “highly credible”, as they cited “informed sources” that could “mean only Royal senior officers.
Marines.”
The story included the reaction of Major General Julian Thompson, describing him as “one of Britain’s most famous military commanders”.
He also said that Lord Dannatt, a former British Army chief of staff, wrote a letter to Harry that got no response.