By Dominic Ponsford
The Mail on Sunday has won leave to appeal
against a ruling that it was wrong to publish Prince Charles’ private
journal written after the 1997 Hong Kong handover.
Mr Justice
Blackburne ruled in February that publication of the journal, in which
Charles branded the Chinese leaders “appalling old waxworks”, breached
both his confidentiality and copyright. Damages payable to the Prince
have yet to be decided.
Appeal Court judge Lord Justice Neuberger
has granted Associated Newspapers permission to appeal against the
ruling because the case had a “degree of public interest and
significance”.
Mr Justice Blackburne had previously refused the Mail on Sunday’s bid to appeal.
But
Neuberger said: “There is a degree of public interest in this case
which militates in favour of permission to appeal being granted”.
A
separate hearing, expected to be held later this year, is to decide
whether the Mail on Sunday has permission to publish seven other
journals written by the Prince.
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