Prince Harry is reportedly suing British newspaper the Mail on Sunday over a 'false and defamatory' story about his relationship with the marines

• The Duke of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday after it published a story claiming he is no longer in touch with the marines, according to Sky News.
• The Mail on Sunday reported that the Duke of Sussex had not been in touch by phone, letter, or email since his last appearance as Captain General of the Marines in March.
• "He might have been made to give up his titles, but he has not given up on the military, far from it," a friend of the duke's told Vanity Fair in October.
• A spokesperson for the duke previously confirmed to Insider that a legal warning had been sent on his behalf regarding the article.

The Duke of Sussex is reportedly suing the publisher of British newspaper the Mail on Sunday over a story which claims he has ceased contact with the marines since giving up royal military appointments in March.

Lawyers for Prince Harry filed the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers at the end of November, according to Sky News. Court papers outlining the case will be made public in the coming weeks, the publication reports.

The Mail on Sunday spoke to marine sources who said the Duke of Sussex had not been in touch by phone, letter, or email since his last appearance as Captain General of the Marines in March.

The article, published in October, now appears to have been removed from the Mail on Sunday's online edition, the Mail Online.

The duke agreed to step back from official military appointments after he resigned from the royal family this year.

Representatives for the Duke of Sussex declined to comment on the record about the lawsuit. However, a spokesperson for the duke previously confirmed to Insider that a legal warning had been sent on his behalf.

"He might have been made to give up his titles, but he has not given up on the military, far from it," a friend of the duke's, who spoke anonymously, previously told Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl.

"To say he has not been in touch with the Marines is not the case," an aide for the duke told Nicholl.

Legal representatives for Harry told the Mail on Sunday that its story was "false and defamatory" at the time of its publication, according to Vanity Fair.

The Duchess of Sussex has an ongoing lawsuit against the same newspaper over the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright, and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 after it published parts of a private letter she wrote to her father.

Meghan Markle was due to appear in court in January 2021, but the start of the trial has been delayed by nine months at the request of the royal, which was made on confidential grounds.

The Mail on Sunday declined to comment when contacted by Insider.

• Read more:
• Prince Harry has sent a legal warning to the same tabloid newspaper that Meghan Markle is suing
• Meghan Markle's privacy trial against The Mail on Sunday has been postponed by 9 months
• Buckingham Palace has been criticized for its response to Meghan Markle's miscarriage essay
• Prince William and Kate Middleton have been accused of breaking lockdown rules by traveling to Scotland for their royal tour