Prince Charles wins court order blocking publication

Prince Charles on Friday won a court order blocking publication of further extracts from his journal reflecting on the end of British rule in Hong Kong . However, the High Court refused to grant a summary judgment prohibiting The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday newspapers from publishing material from seven other journals. That issue would now have to go to a full trial.

Photo: Prince Charles wins court order blocking publication

Charles, 57, sued The Mail on Sunday's publisher, which in November published portions of the diary kept during a 1997 trip to mark the return of Hong Kong to China .

The prince's lawyers said the document, intended for distribution to a few close friends, was leaked by a former palace employee. They claimed invasion of privacy and copyright infringement. The Mail contended that publishing the diaries is in the public interest because they reveal the political beliefs of the man who would be Britain 's head of state as king.

Publication of the prince's sometimes curmudgeonly political opinions and the claim by a former aide that Charles often wrote to politicians to offer his "dissident" opinions also raised questions about the role of the monarchy in modern Britain, reports the AP.

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