Prince Harry ordered to pay Daily Mail publisher over $60K in legal fees following failed court challenge

A U.K. judge ordered Prince Harry to pay nearly 50,000 pounds – or more than $60,000 – in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail following his failed court challenge.

The decision was made on Monday. The father of two was ordered to pay the legal fees by Dec. 29. A spokesperson for the prince didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The younger son of Britain’s King Charles III sued Associated Newspapers Ltd. over an article that said he tried to hide his efforts to retain publicly funded protection in the U.K. after leaving his role as a working member of the royal family.

PRINCE HARRY CONCERNED FOR MEGHAN MARKLE'S SAFETY, TELLS UK COURT, 'I CANNOT PUT MY WIFE IN DANGER'

Prince Harry was ordered to pay 48,447 pounds ($60,927) in legal fees by Dec. 29. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

On Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled in London’s High Court that the publisher has a "real prospect" of showing that statements issued on the 39-year-old’s behalf were misleading. He noted that the February 2022 article was reflected as an "honest opinion" and therefore wasn’t libelous.

"The defendant may well submit that this was a masterclass in the art of ‘spinning,’" Nicklin wrote.

The Duke of Sussex claimed that the article was "fundamentally inaccurate." He believed the newspaper defamed him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statement over efforts to challenge the government’s decision to strip him of his security detail.

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Prince Harry claimed the article was "fundamentally inaccurate" and the newspaper defamed him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statements over efforts to challenge the government’s decision to strip him of his security detail after making his royal exit. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

In 2020, the prince and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals and moved to California. At the time, they alleged palace officials were insensitive to the former American actress’ mental health struggles as she attempted to navigate royal life. The couple also claimed the duchess faced racist attitudes from the U.K. press, which contributed to their decision to leave the country.

Harry lost his security detail after he and his family moved to the U.S.

The Duke of Sussex also has a pending lawsuit against the government’s decision to protect him on a case-by-case basis whenever he visits his home country. Harry claims that the hostility toward him and his wife on social media, as well as the relentless hounding by the media, has threatened their safety.

Prince Harry resides in California with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Harry said he wants his children to "feel at home" when overseas, which can’t happen "if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil." Harry noted that he "felt forced" to step away as a senior member of the royal family.

"It was with great sadness to both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020," Harry said in a statement, per ITV. "The U.K. is my home. The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil."

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Harry continued, "I can't put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I'm reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too."

Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.