Prince Harry apologised after he breached confidentiality rules during his High Court battle against the Home Office by emailing information to Johnny Mercer.
Court documents reveal the Duke of Sussex ‘breached a confidentiality ring’ in November 2023 when he emailed the veterans minister information about the court case.
The Telegraph said the prince had a close bond with Mr Mercer, who served in Afghanistan.
Conservative MP Mercer is also a keen supporter of the Invictus Games and has spearheaded the government’s bid to bring the event to Birmingham in 2027.
The couple was also spotted drinking beer together at a match in Düsseldorf last year.
Mr Justice Lane set out the Prince’s breach in the costs order made on Monday. In it he writes: “In November 2023, Plaintiff violated the terms of the secrecy ring by emailing certain information to Schillings’ partner and Congressman Johnny Mercer, who are not members of the secrecy ring.”
The judge wrote: The Duke’s lawyer, Shahid Fatima KC, explained that he became aware of the breach and reported it to lawyer Jenny Afia, who works for Schillings.
However, it was claimed that this breach had resulted in “unnecessary costs”.
However, Prince Harry’s lawyers said: “At the time of the plaintiff’s breach, the defendant did not raise the issue of costs.”
The judge said the “seriousness” of the breach should not be discounted. However, I believe that there was actually a serious problem. There is no comprehensive cost determination.