Prince Charles wins ‘Hong Kong journal’ case

THE Prince of Wales yesterday won the backing of the High Court in his privacy case over his now-famous Hong Kong journal — but faces a further legal battle to keep seven other travel diaries out of the newspapers.

A High Court judge upheld Prince Charles’s claim that the Mail on Sunday breached his copyright and confidentiality by publishing the journal, in which he described the Chinese hierarchy at the handover of Hong Kong in 1997 as “appalling old waxworks”.

Awarding “summary judgement” without the need for a full hearing with witnesses, Mr Justice Blackburne ruled that Prince Charles was entitled to have the journal returned to him, plus damages to be assessed.

But he declined to make a summary ruling in respect of the other journals held by the newspaper.

He said that, although there was “every reason” for concluding that the prince would also succeed in establishing his claim to privacy on the other journals, the newspaper should not be prevented from arguing its case at a full trial.

Publisher Associated Newspapers is to seek permission to appeal against the judge’s decision regarding the Hong Kong journal.