Saudi prince wins TV payout for 'emotional damage' of pulled interview

Television channel Al Arabiya will pay a Saudi prince 100,000 dirhams (£17,000) in compensation for failing to air an interview him.

An appeals court in Dubai upheld a verdict saying the channel, which is based in the emirate, damaged "the social status" of Prince Saif al-Islam bin Saud bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud when it advertised but did not broadcast the interview, as well as failing to adhere to a media code of ethics.

Prince Saif al-Islam, a novelist, initially sought compensation of 500,000 dirhams, claiming the incident had "inflicted emotional, moral and social damage" to him as "an academic and a royal".

Al Arabiya said the interview, filmed in 2008 for the channel's current affairs programme, was "not up to standard". "The interview was nothing special, there was nothing new in it. Just because he is a prince doesn't mean he has the right to have his interview broadcast," said Nasser al-Sarami, head of media at Al Arabiya.