Prince Harry could be forced to pay nearly $1 million in legal costs after withdrawing his libel claim against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

The Duke of Sussex unexpectedly abandoned his legal fight against Associated Newspapers over an article about his security arrangements.

He had sued over a 2022 story about his legal challenge to Britain’s Home Office when it decided to change his publicly funded security entitlements while in the UK.

The report also accused Harry, 39, of attempting to mislead the public about his willingness to pay for the policing, which was withdrawn after he stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

After dropping the claim, a statement from the prince’s representatives said he was choosing to prioritise the safety of his family.

He also wanted to focus on his case against the British government over the decision to strip him of automatic police protection when he was in Britain.

“His focus remains there, and on the safety of his family, rather than these legal proceedings that give a continued platform to the Mail’s false claims all those years ago.”

In December, Harry lost his attempt to have the paper’s defence to his libel lawsuit thrown out, meaning he would have likely had to give evidence at London’s High Court later this year.

The Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday’s sister title, reported the Duke of Sussex had abandoned his case hours before his lawyers were required to hand over relevant documents.

The paper said he would now be obliged to pay the paper’s costs of 250,000 pounds ($480,851) along with his own fees which it put at 500,000 pounds ($961,701).

The prince’s spokesperson said the legal costs had not been determined.

Harry, his US wife Meghan and their two children now live in California after the couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020.

His claim against the UK government was heard in December with a ruling expected in the next few months.

London’s High Court had ruled last July that the Mail report was defamatory — paving the way for Harry to take the case forward against one of Britain’s biggest media publishers.

But his bid to have the case decided in his favour without a trial then subsequently failed.

The legal action was one of a number of cases the royal is taking against British tabloids at the High Court.

He and six other high-profile figures including singer Elton John are also suing Associated Newspapers alleging widespread unlawful behaviour including phone-hacking by its journalists.

A judge ruled in November that their case could go to trial after the publisher tried to have it thrown out.

In December, Prince Harry was awarded 140,600 pounds ($267,400) damages after London’s High Court ruled he had been hacked in another case against Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

-with AAP