Prince Harry has been named in a $30m (£24m) lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, in which the music mogul has been accused of being a serial sex abuser.
The rapper, hip-hop producer and music executive is facing a number of allegations, including accusations of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. The lawsuit was filed last month by record producer Rodney Jones.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by The Duke Of Sussex, and his name is only mentioned once in the documents as an example of the well-known associates held by the rapper.
In his lawsuit, Jones claims that Diddy sexually assaulted him and also threw parties that were attended by sex workers and underage girls. He also alleged that Combs coerced him to solicit and sleep with prostitutes. Diddy has denied all accusations and labelled them as “pure fiction”.
In the filing, Combs is said to have drawn guests to his infamous parties through his associations with VIPs, with “celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry” (via The Independent).
As highlighted by the outlet, both Harry and his brother Prince William have been pictured with Diddy in the past – posing for a photo with him and Kanye West in 2007 after the two rappers performed at the Concert for Diana show at Wembley Stadium.
On Monday (March 25), Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and the Miami area were raided as part of the ongoing sex trafficking investigations.
The raids, led by the Department of Homeland Security, were in conjunction with investigations that span Los Angeles, Miami and New York. However, per reports from CNN, it has yet to be confirmed if Combs was a specific target of the raid, or if the searches of his properties are part of a larger investigation.
In November of 2023, he was accused of rape and physical abuse in a lawsuit by his former partner Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
Combs denied Cassie’s allegations at the time, however, the lawsuit was quickly dropped as Combs and Ventura settled the suit the following day to “mutual satisfaction” the day after it was filed.
A week after Cassie’s lawsuit, two new allegations by two different women also came out with one claiming that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her and the other alleging that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping the plaintiff and her friend in 1990 or 1991 – with Diddy allegedly turning violent days later.
He denied those allegations in December, sharing in a statement: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.” That same month, he was also accused of the “gang rape” of a 17-year-old girl, which he denies. Hall did not immediately comment on the allegations.
Yesterday (March 26) Usher‘s comments about his experiences at Diddy‘s home in a resurfaced interview were reported as having gone viral.
He told Rolling Stone in 2004 that Combs introduced him to “a totally different set of shit — sex, specifically”. “Sex is so hot in the industry, man,” he continued, alleging that “there was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.”
Usher’s representatives declined to comment to NME. NME reached out to Diddy for comment as well.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.