Prince Harry accepts damages from Mail publishers for Marines snub allegations

The Duke of Sussex accepted the Associated Newspapers' apology for their articles last October, which claimed that he hadn't been in contact with the Royal Marines since stepping down from the royal spotlight.

The two articles alleged that the Duke had "not been in touch by phone, letter nor email since his last appearance as an honorary Marine" since his transition out his role as a senior royal last March.

The claims have been dismissed by Harry's lawyer, Jenny Afia, as "baseless, false and defamatory".

Ms Afia told the court that the Duke had made several efforts to support the Royal Marines and he has and continues to maintain active links with the armed forces.

According to Ms Afia, the articles from the Mail On Sunday and Mail Online were not only an attack on the Duke's character but also thought to question his service to the country.

It is thought that the "substantial damages" from the High Court case will be donated to the Invictus Games Foundation which Prince Harry set up in 2014.

Although the Mail On Sunday printed an apology in December 2020, confirming that Prince Harry had been in contact with the Royal Marines, his lawyer's criticised the apology as underplaying the seriousness of the allegations that were made.