Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sent legal letters to the Daily Mail over allegations of a fist fight with Prince Andrew and derogatory comments about Meghan, Newsweek can reveal.

Andrew Lownie’s new book, Entitled, paints a scathing portrait of Andrew as sex-obsessed, boorish and privileged.

However, it is Harry and Meghan’s legal team, not the Duke of York’s, who have been mobilized to respond to the allegations.

And that’s because of passages suggesting Harry and Andrew had a fist fight in 2013 and others stating the latter was dismissive of Meghan.

Extracts from the book were serialized in the Daily Mail on Saturday, prompting a strongly worded denial by Harry’s team that evening.

Now though, Harry’s team has told Newsweek they have called in lawyers: “Such are the gross inaccuracies, damaging and defamatory remarks made in the Daily Mail’s story, I can confirm a legal letter from Prince Harry’s counsel has been sent to the Mail.”

Saturday’s statement, also sent to Newsweek, read: “I can confirm Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry.”

Harry and Meghan filed repeated lawsuits between 2019 and 2022, but have not filed a single case since.

In the meantime, Harry has been slowly winding down the flurry of actions, having won some, lost others and abandoned one.

If the legal letter did turn into an actual lawsuit, it would represent a pivot back to a media strategy that Harry was largely thought to have abandoned.

What Lownie’s Biography Says About Harry and Meghan

“At a family gathering in 2013,” Lownie wrote, “Harry and Andrew had got into a heated argument, and punches were thrown over something Andrew said behind Harry’s back.

“According to a source close to both men, Harry told him he was a coward not to say it to his face.

“Harry got the better of Andrew by all accounts, leaving him with a bloody nose before the fight was broken up.”

“Later Andrew told Harry his marriage to Meghan Markle would not last more than a month,” the book reads, “and accused his nephew of going ‘bonkers’ and not doing any due diligence into her past.

“He openly accused Meghan of being an opportunist and thought she was too old for Harry, adding that his nephew was making the biggest mistake ever. The source said: ‘Harry later told William he hated Andrew.'”