Prince Harry has made a generous donation to a cause close to his heart following a gruelling, emotional court case.
The Duke of Sussex accepted an apology and damages for his defamation case against the Mail On Sunday and MailOnline this week, and instead of taking the money for himself, he has given it to his beloved Invictus Games Foundation, which provides support for injured and retired soldiers.
This week, it was revealed the Duke had accepted the apology and “substantial damages” from the publisher after the allegations were confirmed as “baseless, false and defamatory”.
The two articles claimed Harry had snubbed the royal marines after he stepped down as a senior royal family member at the beginning of 2020.
In the court case, Associated Newspapers, which owns the Mail, accepted that the allegations were false.
Harry has won a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which owns MailOnline and Mail on Sunday.
(Getty)The Prince had been “personally affronted” by the paper’s claims, according to the court documents, with “huge damage to his reputation” caused.
As part of Harry’s decision to step back as a senior royal, his roles within the military were stripped back and put on hold.
As he and Meghan settle into their new life financially independent from those in the regal Firm, Harry is unable to take any new titles at the moment – including within the army.
Harry and Meghan now reside on the West Coast of the United States.
(Queens Commonwealth Trust)A spokesperson for Harry released a statement following the courts decision requiring damages from Associated Newspapers.
“Today, the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline publicly admitted in open court that they pushed a completely false and defamatory story,” the statement began, as per Hello!.
“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.”
The news is welcomed by many, and most certainly by Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan, who are continuing to work hard behind the scenes on their own projects separate from the royal family.
And if Harry’s gesture is anything to go by, it looks like they’ll continue to support and shine a light for more social causes as they try to fight the good fight.
Stay tuned.
