Prince Harry withdraws lawsuit just before Living Legends of Aviation Award

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been in the news lately for various issues.

After a tumultuous year in 2023, the royal couple needs some wins for 2024.

Harry and Meghan graciously adopted one of Ellen DeGeneres’s chickens, and Harry is set to receive a new title, “Living Legend of Aviation,” at an award ceremony Friday night.

They are doing so much better than their royal relatives across the pond. Harry’s sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was hospitalized after abdominal surgery, and his father, King Charles, will be having surgery next week on his prostate.

And now, just before the awards ceremony, word has come out that Harry has dropped a significant lawsuit.

Harry’s lawsuit was dear to him because it involved alleged libel over wanting more security for his family.

Harry is now faced with paying legal fees for both parties after his withdrawal from court

In December, Harry was ordered to pay over $60,000 to Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) by Sir Matthew James Nicklin FRSA, a British High Court judge.

Reuters reports that a spokesperson for Prince Harry said: “he had withdrawn the claim because he wanted to focus on the safety of his family and his case against the British government over the decision to strip him of automatic police protection when he was in Britain.”

Because Harry has withdrawn the lawsuit, he is facing hefty legal fees. He will have to pay his lawyers and ANL’s legal fees.

The Daily Mail reports that these fees will cost £250,000 and his lawyers’ fees – meaning a total legal bill of more than £750,000 (US$950,000).

Fans question the timing of Harry’s actions

Harry’s dropping the lawsuit comes just ahead of being named a Living Legend of Aviation at a ceremony hosted by John Travolta.

This year, the awards will be given to Prince Harry, a Navy pilot; Fred George, President of Canadian Aviation Electronics; Marc Parent; and Steve Hinton, an American aviator.

The award ceremony is Friday night, and fans wonder if there is a connection between them and Harry dropping his legal case.

One fan explained that Harry wants to focus on the night and his privacy.

Meghan dancing with John Travolta the way he danced with Harry’s mom, Princess Diana, would be excellent for royal fans.

Another fan expressed what many are saying on social media- “Interesting timing, what with the award and all.”

With Harry already being dealt the blow of paying around $60,000 to ANL in December, his legal team may have decided the case could not be won easily.

Dropping it ahead of the excellent publicity Harry will gain from this weekend’s award ceremony will minimize the damage of losing.