Reason Prince Harry fought back after being mentioned in Diddy lawsuit
He only met the music mogul once – in 2007
Prince Harry was mentioned in a lawsuit accusing disgraced music mogul Diddy of sex trafficking last year – how did the duke respond?
The record producer Rodney Jones filed the lawsuit against Diddy – real name Sean Combs – last year. The Sun reported at the time (via The Guardian) that Jones alleged that “affiliation with, and or sponsorship of Mr Combs’ sex-trafficking parties” earned people “access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British royal, Prince Harry”.
Harry, however, has only met Diddy once. They met in 2007, at the end of a memorial concert for his late mother, Princess Diana. He has never attended any of his parties.
The prince responded by accusing The Sun of printing the story out of revenge. The tabloid ran the story with the headline “Harry named in P Diddy sex traffic case” and only wrote at the bottom of the fourth paragraph that he wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing.
Per claims in a court document disclsoed in May, Harry described the story as one of “a large number of false and highly derogatory articles” published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) ‘in retaliation’ for the prince’s claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering.
“Negative impact” on Harry’s mental health
The document alleges: “Since issuing his claim on September 27, 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.”
He described the articles as having a “hugely negative impact on his mental health and that of his wife and children.”
He added that they put a “strain on his relationship with the royal family.” This meant that he was “forced to leave the institution” and relocate to the US, “leaving behind all that he knew and held dear.”
NGN denied the claims about its journalists’ motivation. It described the article as accurate as saying 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.”
Diddy sentenced this week
Diddy has already served more than a year in prison after being arrested in New York in September 2024. Earlier this year he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for engagement in prostitution. However, he was cleared of the charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
It’s thought that he could face up to 20 years in jail when sentenced this week. However, his defence team is arguing for less. They have proposed that he received a 14-month sentence at maximum. And, since he has been in custody since last September, he would already have served most of his sentence.
Read more: What the ‘older woman’ Prince Harry ‘lost his virginity to’ said about their ‘passionate encounter’
What do you think of this story? You can share your thoughts with us on our Royal Insider Facebook page. We want to know your thoughts!
