Prince Harry loses latest stage of legal battle against Mail on Sunday as judge refuses Duke’s request for case to be decided without a public trial

Prince Harry today lost the latest stage of a libel battle over claims he had attempted to mislead the public.

The Duke of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday over an article which claimed his PR aides tried to ‘spin’ a dispute with the Home Office, over its decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded police protection.

He asked the High Court to rule that the newspaper could not use a legal defence of ‘honest opinion’, and for a judge to rule in his favour without the need for a trial.

But the judge ruled that Associated Newspapers – publisher of The Mail on Sunday (TMOS) and the Daily Mail – had a ‘real prospect’ of demonstrating that statements issued on Harry’s behalf were misleading, and refused his requests.

Prince Harry today lost the latest stage of a libel battle over claims he had attempted to mislead the public 

High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin said the newspaper had ‘a real prospect of succeeding in demonstrating also that an honest person could have held the opinion…