PRINCE Andrew's ex-girlfriend will receive "substantial damages" from the Daily Mail's publisher for an article which wrongly referred to her as a porn star.
Photographer Koo Stark, 66, brought legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) as well as the then-editor and deputy editor of the Daily Mail – Geordie Greig and Gerard Greaves – over a November 2019 article in the paper.
Stark, who has also worked as a professional actress, was in a relationship with Andrew in the early 1980s, the High Court in London heard on Friday.
The article referred to Andrew as a “Duke of Hazard” with “very shady friends” and included a photo of Stark from the film The Awakening of Emily captioned “The prince and the porn star”.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford 'facing SNP Westminster leadership challenge'
It also referred to Andrew having had “an astonishing relationship with a soft porn actress”.
Francis Leonard, for Stark, said: “The words at issue meant, and would have been understood to mean, that the claimant is a porn actress who has made her living participating in films which are made for distribution in the pornographic market.
“The true position is that Stark has never appeared in a pornographic film or posed for pornographic photographs. None of her work could properly be described as pornographic or indeed as ‘very shady’.
“In particular, the film The Awakening of Emily is a coming-of-age drama and not a pornographic film.”
Leonard said the article was also published on the MailOnline website, but was amended just over nine hours later to correct the reference to Stark, before having all references to her removed in 2021.
READ MORE: Lonely Planet names Scottish region as one of the best world locations to visit
He continued: “The defendant’s publication of the article and the false statements about her caused the claimant very considerable distress and upset.
“The defendant has accepted that the article’s reference to Stark was defamatory and without justification … The defendant has agreed to pay the claimant substantial damages.”
Gemma McNeil-Walsh, defending Associated Newspapers and Greig and Greaves, said: “The defendant through me offers its sincere apologies to the claimant for the distress, embarrassment and upset caused to her by the publication of the Daily Mail article.
“The defendant accepts there was and is no truth in the allegation advanced about the claimant and is happy to set the record straight.”
An apology was also published in Friday’s print edition of the Daily Mail.
Judge Mrs Justice Collins Rice said: “I note the very full apology, the payment of substantial damages and this statement.
“Ms Stark is entitled to consider herself, and be considered as, fully vindicated.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here