LONDON, May 22 (UPI) -- A British court has ruled that seven of Prince Charles's travel diaries are off-limits to media, even down to the mention of countries he visited.
The court said The Mail on Sunday, which obtained the diaries, did not present "any valid arguments on freedom of expression" that outweighed the prince's right to privacy, The Times of London reported Tuesday.
The prince's observations in the one journal from which excerpts were published -- "The Handover of Hong Kong or the Great Chinese Takeaway " -- prompted the court action.
Prince Charles successfully sued The Mail on Sunday for breach of copyright and confidentiality. His legal team said it would seek damages from Associated Newspapers, publishers of The Mail on Sunday, for printing his observations about politicians and dignitaries.
Lawyers for the newspaper said the Mail on Sunday did not oppose injunctions barring publication and the required "delivery up" of all the documents. The paper was granted a stay pending a decision in June on whether it should have permission to appeal to the House of Lords.
The diaries were leaked by Sarah Goodall, a former secretary in the prince's office, breaching her employment contract's confidentiality clause.
