In March 2024, one of the UK’s biggest tabloids, The Sun, published a front-page article, linking Prince Harry to a sex trafficking lawsuit involving disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Now, the Duke of Sussex has accused that the article was published as an act of "retaliation" for his previous legal action against the newspaper's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN).
In newly disclosed court documents obtained by The Guardian, Harry alleges that article, ran under the headline “Harry named in P Diddy sex traffic case”, was part of a series of "false and highly derogatory articles” published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) “in retaliation” to his lawsuit over unlawful information gathering and phone hacking.
The documents further noted that the article linking him to Diddy’s trial, as well as 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”.
“The repeated attacks on his credibility and integrity…[have] also put such a strain on his relationship with the royal family that he was forced to leave the institution and relocate to North America, leaving behind all that he knew and held dear,” it added.
NGN has denied the allegations of retaliatory intent, saying, “the Sun publishes stories about the Duke of Sussex which are justified because of the role he holds and the actions he has taken.”
This development follows Prince Harry's settlement with NGN in January 2025, where he accepted an eight-figure financial payout, concluding his legal action over alleged unlawful information gathering.
About The Sun’s article which linked Harry to Diddy's lawsuit
On March 27, 2024, The Sun reported that Harry had been named in the £24m sex-trafficking lawsuit filed against the US rapper, Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The article further claimed that “bombshell legal filings allege Diddy used Harry’s name to give ‘legitimacy’ to wild parties where ‘serious illegal activity’ took place”.
Notably, Prince Harry has only met Diddy once in 2007 after a memorial concert for his late mother, Princess Diana.
