Prince Harry Awarded "Substantial Damages" in His Lawsuit

Mail on Sunday and Mail Online are paying up for publishing stories claiming that Prince Harry "turned his back" on his military service, the BBC reports. After two stories were published, Harry took legal action, starting a libel case, and won "substantial damages" from the Associated Newspapers, the publishing company behind the stories.

Jenny Afia, Harry's lawyer, called the allegations "baseless, false, and defamatory." She also added that Harry would be donating the damages to the Invictus Games Foundation, "so he could feel something good had come out of the situation."

During the remote court hearing, which was held on Monday, Afia added that Harry was "proud to have served in the British armed forces for 10 years in Her Majesty's name," and that he "has maintained active links with those forces ever since and will continue to do so in the future."

"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," her statement continues. "For this reason, the baseless, false, and defamatory stories published in the Mail on Sunday and on the website Mail Online constituted not only a personal attack upon the Duke's character but also wrongly brought into question his service to this country."

According to Aifa, the Mail on Sunday's official apology, which was printed on December 27, "used wording which significantly underplayed the seriousness of the accusations made against him."

"We apologize to Prince Harry and have made a donation to the Invictus Games Foundation," the paper printed.

The BBC also reported that Harry's spokesperson said that his dedication to the British military was "unquestionable."