Harry accused Sun of seeking 'revenge' with story linking him to rapper Combs

Prince Harry accused the Sun newspaper of being motivated by revenge when reporting that he had been named in a lawsuit accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs of sex trafficking, according to claims in a newly disclosed court document.

- Daniel Boffey

The front-page story was said by the Duke of Sussex to be among "a large number of false and highly derogatory articles" published by Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) "in retaliation" for his claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering.

Harry claimed the article and others published by the Sun and the Sun on Sunday had "a hugely negative impact on his mental health and that of his wife and children".

NGN denies the claim about its journalists' motivation, saying the article was accurate and "the Sun publishes stories about the Duke of Sussex which are justified because of the role he holds and the actions he has taken".

Harry's allegations are contained in a schedule to his skeleton argument in support of a claim for damages over alleged unlawful behaviour at NGN.

His case, which was jointly taken with the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, was not tested in court because it was settled in January with a payout to the claimants for legal costs and damages reportedly in excess of £10m.

If the case had not been settled, NGN was prepared to argue that the claim was outside the six-year statute of limitations. And it would have challenged allegations relating to the sourcing of a series of articles highlighted by the duke, according to the company's defence argument. The court had already ruled that his allegations specifically relating to phone hacking were too late.