Prince Harry loses privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail over phone-hacking claims
A UK judge dismissed Prince Harry's privacy claims against Associated Newspapers. The ruling ends his final tabloid lawsuit and vindicates the publisher's reporting.
Prince Harry's final lawsuit against a British tabloid publisher ended in defeat on Tuesday, with a judge rejecting his privacy invasion claims against Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The ruling also brings down the wider case brought by Harry and six others, including singer Elton John and actor-model Elizabeth Hurley, who had sought substantial damages.
Justice Matthew Nicklin said Harry had failed to prove his claims and rejected the broad inferences used to argue that the publisher had engaged in unlawful activities. The judge said there was a realistic possibility that the information published in the articles had come from legitimate sources.
The case was the third and final lawsuit in which Harry accused tabloid publishers of using unlawful methods, including phone hacking and the use of private detectives to gather information about his life.
The newspaper denied the allegations as "preposterous" and said the roughly 50 articles in question were based on lawful sources such as friends, royal aides and publicists who gave information to reporters.
In legal filings, Harry said it was "disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just for the Mail to make money out of it". During the trial, he also testified: "They continue to come after me, they have made my wife's life an absolute misery," as he choked back tears in the witness box.
Associated Newspapers Ltd described the outcome as an "overwhelming victory" and a "magnificent vindication" of the Mail's journalism. The ruling ends years of preparation and an 11-week trial in a case where legal costs were estimated at about 40 million pounds (USD 53.5 million).
The verdict was released remotely without a court hearing and came as Harry was in the UK, where attention has centred on his latest efforts to repair his rift with his father, King Charles III.
Harry has said his litigation, in which he broke with royal family tradition to seek relief in the courts, was a main reason for his falling out with his father and brother, Prince William.
He has long blamed the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and for attacks on his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which led the couple to leave royal life and move to the US in 2020. The ruling marks the end of Harry's final lawsuit in this round of legal action against British tabloids.
Prince Harry's final lawsuit against a British tabloid publisher ended in defeat on Tuesday, with a judge rejecting his privacy invasion claims against Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The ruling also brings down the wider case brought by Harry and six others, including singer Elton John and actor-model Elizabeth Hurley, who had sought substantial damages.
Justice Matthew Nicklin said Harry had failed to prove his claims and rejected the broad inferences used to argue that the publisher had engaged in unlawful activities. The judge said there was a realistic possibility that the information published in the articles had come from legitimate sources.
The case was the third and final lawsuit in which Harry accused tabloid publishers of using unlawful methods, including phone hacking and the use of private detectives to gather information about his life.
The newspaper denied the allegations as "preposterous" and said the roughly 50 articles in question were based on lawful sources such as friends, royal aides and publicists who gave information to reporters.
In legal filings, Harry said it was "disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just for the Mail to make money out of it". During the trial, he also testified: "They continue to come after me, they have made my wife's life an absolute misery," as he choked back tears in the witness box.
Associated Newspapers Ltd described the outcome as an "overwhelming victory" and a "magnificent vindication" of the Mail's journalism. The ruling ends years of preparation and an 11-week trial in a case where legal costs were estimated at about 40 million pounds (USD 53.5 million).
The verdict was released remotely without a court hearing and came as Harry was in the UK, where attention has centred on his latest efforts to repair his rift with his father, King Charles III.
Harry has said his litigation, in which he broke with royal family tradition to seek relief in the courts, was a main reason for his falling out with his father and brother, Prince William.
He has long blamed the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and for attacks on his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which led the couple to leave royal life and move to the US in 2020. The ruling marks the end of Harry's final lawsuit in this round of legal action against British tabloids.
