Prince Harry in Invictus donation row with Mail on Sunday as he accuses newspaper of 'personal attack'

Victoria Ward
Prince Harry - Finnbarr Webster/PA
Prince Harry - Finnbarr Webster/PA

The Duke of Sussex has accused the Mail on Sunday of lying about a donation to his Invictus Games Foundation after making a “personal attack” on his character.

In a rare personal statement made in open court, the Duke, 36, took issue with the wording and prominence of an apology published by the newspaper after it wrongly claimed he had failed to maintain contact with the Royal Marines when he moved to the United States.

The offending article was published in October and the Duke took legal action against Associated Newspapers the following month, the sixth lawsuit to be filed by either the Duke or the Duchess of Sussex in little more than a year.

Although the Duke agreed the wording of an apology, he claimed it “significantly underplayed” the seriousness of the accusations made against him, failing to “expressly acknowledge” that the allegations were false.

He is understood to have been frustrated that the apology was published before the settlement was finalised and allegedly, without his knowledge.

The Duke also took umbrage at the newspaper’s assertion that it had made a donation to the Invictus Games Foundation, which it had not, prompting him to apply to conclude the settlement in open court.

He revealed that in fact, he had wanted to bequeath any damages to the charity himself “so he could feel something good had come out of the situation.”

The Duke of Sussex attends his final function as Captain-General of the Royal Marines - Eddie Mulholland
The Duke of Sussex attends his final function as Captain-General of the Royal Marines - Eddie Mulholland

A 1,100 word statement, read out at the High Court by the Duke’s solicitor, Jenny Afia, said: “The Duke’s commitment to the men and women who have put their lives on the line, to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and to military families, is steadfast and unquestionable.

“For this reason, the baseless, false and defamatory stories published in the Mail on Sunday and on the website MailOnline constituted not only a personal attack upon The Duke’s character but also wrongly brought into question his service to this country.”

It went on: “The apology incorrectly stated that the defendant had made a donation to the Invictus Games Foundation.

"Although the defendant had, when making its settlement proposal, offered to directly donate the Duke’s damages, the Duke wanted to bequest any damages received to Invictus Games Foundation himself so he could feel something good had come out of the situation.

“Consequently he personally is donating the damages from this case to the Invictus Games Foundation. Although the wording was agreed, the apology does not, therefore, accurately represent what happened in that respect.”

The statement stated that the Duke was “proud” to have served in the Armed Forces for ten years, noting that he had completed two tours of duty on the frontline in Afghanistan.

It said he had maintained active links with those forces ever since and will continue to do so in the future.

It went on to explain that the Duke had agreed to the wording of the apology despite not being happy with its contents or prominence in order to avoid protracted litigation.

Documents filed with the High Court in December revealed that he had been "personally affronted" by the story, which "caused huge damage to his reputation".

They also claimed that it "seriously" hampered the Duke’s ability to help veterans and serving military personnel as it would "diminish his credibility” in their eyes.

A spokesperson for the Duke said: “Today, The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline publicly admitted in open court that they pushed a completely false and defamatory story. And they’ve apologised for questioning the Duke of Sussex’s commitment to the Royal Marines and British Armed Forces.

"The truth is that the Duke’s commitment to the military community is unquestionable. Unsurprisingly, The Mail again misled their readers in December by claiming to make a charitable donation as part of an initial apology.

"They did no such thing. The Duke is personally donating the significant damages recovered from this legal resolution to the Invictus Games Foundation.”

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    Mexican soldiers and immigration agents rescued a 2-year-old girl from Chile after she apparently fell into the Rio Grande and the adults who were with her left her and crossed the river into the United States, officials said Sunday. The National Immigration Institute said the incident occurred Saturday as a group of migrants was crossing the river near Ciudad Acuna, across from Del Rio, Texas. The adults made gestures, pointing out the toddler to soldiers and immigration agents, who then waded into the river to rescue her, the agency said.