According to Reuters, lawyers for Associated Newspapers said in a London court on Friday that Prince Harry’s defamation claim over an article about the security measures he requested is “full of sand”. .

Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, sued Associated Newspapers last year over an article in the Mail on Sunday which claimed he offered to pay for police protection only after launching a separate legal battle against the British government.

The article accused Harry, 38, of trying to mislead the public about his legal battle with the government over his publicly funded defence, which was dropped after he stepped down from royal duties in 2020.

The High Court in London ruled the Mail report defamatory in July, allowing Harry to file a case against one of Britain’s biggest media publishers.

Harry’s lawyers told Judge Matthew Nicklin on Friday that Harry first offered to pay for police protection at a crisis meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth, his father and his brother Prince William at the royal estate of Sandringham in January 2020.

Justin Rushbrook said Associated Newspapers had no factual basis for its defense and asked the court to rule in Harry’s favor without the need for a trial.

However, Associated Newspapers lawyer Andrew Caldecott said he had strong evidence of “honest opinion” and that Harry’s attempt to win the case out of court was “absolutely without merit”.

Caldecott said a statement released by Harry’s representatives in January 2022 – a month before the article at the center of the lawsuit – falsely claimed the government had reneged on Harry’s offer to pay for police protection.

He also said Harry had admitted not offering to pay in correspondence with the British government before the trial began, adding: “This whole case is built on sand.”

A decision on Harry’s bid to settle the case out of court is expected at a later date.

The case is one of several lawsuits filed in recent years by Harry and his American wife, Meghan, against the tabloid media, after they cited media interference as one of the reasons they gave up their royal duties and moved to California.

A hearing is scheduled for later this month in another lawsuit Harry filed with others against Associated Newspapers, which will seek to deny allegations of wiretapping and other privacy violations.

In May, his trial against the Daily Mirror newspaper over allegations of phone hacking will go to trial and Harry is likely to give evidence.

He also sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of the now-defunct News of the World and The Sun, over alleged wiretapping.