Prince Harry reveals 'negative' impact Diddy article had on him, wife Meghan Markle and their children
The Duke of Sussex was mentioned in the article last yearPrince Harry suffered “a hugely negative impact on his mental health” following the publication of a tabloid article concerning allegations of sex trafficking against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, court documents reveal.
Meghan Markle – the Duchess of Sussex – as well as her and husband’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were also affected by The Sun’s front page story, which claimed Prince Harry had been named in a lawsuit relating to Combs. Combs is currently on trial over criminal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Prince Harry said the article was among “a large number of false and highly derogatory articles” published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers “in retaliation” for his claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering.
Prince Harry ‘named in Diddy article’
The Guardian reports Prince Harry accused The Sun of printing the story out of revenge, according to claims in the newly disclosed document which was not used in court.
But NGN denies the claim about its motivation for the story. It adds the story was accurate. Furthermore, NGN said that “The Sun publishes stories about the Duke of Sussex which are justified because of the role he holds and the actions he has taken”.
The allegations are contained in a schedule to his skeleton argument in support of a claim for damages over alleged unlawful behaviour at NGN’s newspapers.
But that case against NGN was not tested in court as it was settled earlier this year in January. Action was set to be jointly taken with former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson. The claimants’ subsequent payout for legal costs and damages was reportedly over £10million.
‘Strain on Harry’s relationship with the royal family’
The Guardian reports the schedule alleges “since issuing his claim on 27 September 2019, NGN has published in the Sun or Sun on Sunday a large number of false and highly derogatory articles about the DoS plainly in retaliation, including articles that suggested he has somehow ‘betrayed’ his family, has ‘lied’ about them to garner sympathy, is a ‘traitor’ to his country and, perhaps most damaging of all, has been named in a high-profile sex-trafficking case”.
The claim went on to allege that the articles put a “strain on his relationship with the royal family”. Additionally, Prince Harry “was forced to leave the institution” and relocate to US.
In doing so, it is said, he was “leaving behind all that he knew and held dear”.
How many times have Prince Harry and Diddy met?
The “high-profile sex-trafficking case” mention is said to refer to The Sun’s front page story on March 27 2024. The headline for the story was: “Harry named in P Diddy sex traffic case.”
The article went on to claim that “bombshell legal filings allege Diddy used Prince Harry’s name to give ‘legitimacy’ to wild parties where ‘serious illegal activity’ took place”. At the bottom of the fourth paragraph it was stated Prince Harry was not accused of any wrongdoing.
The story was reporting a legal claim made by the record producer Rodney Jones against Combs. It was also covered over two pages inside the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry is said to have met Combs only once. That occurred at the end of a memorial concert for Princess Diana in 2007.
An NGN spokesperson commented: “We always take the greatest care to ensure what we report is accurate. The Sun reflects public opinion and debate. The Duke of Sussex and his wife have been interviewed and he has published a book. These have been contentious and the subject of legitimate scrutiny and opinion.
It was made quite clear that there was no allegation of wrongdoing in respect of the Duke of Sussex.
“The reference to the Duke of Sussex in the Sean Coombs case was because his name appeared in court documents in a case of huge international interest. It was made quite clear that there was no allegation of wrongdoing in respect of the Duke of Sussex and
Royal Insider has reached out to reps for Prince Harry.
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