LONDON: Prince Harry has launched libel action against the publishers of a British tabloid over an article claiming he had not kept in touch with the Royal Marines, reports said Monday.

The Duke of Sussex, who served in Afghanistan in 2012, and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, are already pursuing multiple legal claims.

Harry's legal team filed the latest action against Associated Newspapers Ltd at the High Court late November, the Daily Telegraph and Britain's domestic Press Association news agency reported, without citing sources.

The reports said it related to an October report in the Mail on Sunday in which a senior military commander criticised Harry for an alleged lack of contact.

The Telegraph reported that the couple, who now live in the United States with their young son, Archie, have filed six legal claims in just over a year.

Meghan, 39, is suing Associated Newspapers for breach of privacy and copyright over the publication of a letter she wrote to her estranged father before she married Harry in 2018.

Harry is separately suing British tabloid publishers News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged historical phone hacking.

The 36-year-old prince gave up his honorary military titles, including Captain General of the Royal Marines, after he and Meghan stepped down from royal duties earlier this year.

He spent a decade in the armed forces and has said he was "born into a life of duty" and committed himself to "a life of service" while in the military.