Tuesday, July 7Tuesday, July 7
LONDON — Prince Harry and six other prominent figures suffered a comprehensive legal defeat on Tuesday when London’s High Court dismissed all 97 claims in their £50 million privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the publisher of the *Daily Mail*, *Mail on Sunday* and *MailOnline*. Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled that the claimants had failed to prove the tabloid used unlawful methods to gather information, delivering what ANL described as an “overwhelming victory” for press freedom.
In a 436-page written judgment, Justice Nicklin rejected the core allegation that ANL had engaged in systematic phone hacking or other illegal information-gathering over several years. The judge emphasised that serious allegations require “convincing evidence,” and found that the claimants had not met that threshold. He noted that witnesses from ANL provided lawful explanations for how stories were sourced, including from press officers, public records and “leaky” celebrity social circles. “The more serious and less likely an allegation is, the more convincing the evidence must be before a court can find it proved,” the judgment stated .
The claimants—who also included Doreen Lawrence, Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost and former Liberal Democrat minister Simon Hughes—had accused ANL of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information-gathering.” Harry and Lawrence said in a joint statement that the verdict was a “complete and obvious whitewash,” adding: “When the court says there is not sufficient evidence of wrongdoing… then one does wonder how justice was ever going to be achieved” .
ANL’s legal team dismissed the claims as “lurid” and “preposterous,” arguing that all stories were obtained through legitimate channels. In a video statement, former *Daily Mail* editor Paul Dacre called the case a “conspiracy” orchestrated by press regulation campaigners to “destroy a paper.” He expressed sympathy for Harry, describing him as a “confused and angry young man,” and noted that the late Diana, Princess of Wales, had favoured the *Daily Mail* .
The ruling marks the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Harry, who has waged a years-long campaign against British tabloids over alleged privacy violations. The case was one of several high-profile lawsuits brought by public figures against UK media organisations in recent years. ANL welcomed the judgment as a vindication of its reporting practices and a defence of press freedom. A spokesperson said the ruling was a “significant victory” and criticised the litigation as a waste of court resources and public funds .
Legal experts noted that the decision could signal the end of new litigation stemming from the phone-hacking scandal era, as claimants face mounting costs and evidentiary hurdles. Justice Nicklin’s ruling underscores the high bar required to prove unlawful information-gathering in UK courts, particularly when legitimate sourcing routes remain plausible. The judgment also rejected claims that senior ANL figures, including Dacre, had lied to the 2011–12 Leveson inquiry into press ethics, where Dacre denied any hacking at the paper .
With the High Court’s ruling now final, ANL is expected to pursue recovery of its legal costs, which sources estimate could run into tens of millions of pounds. The case leaves the claimants with no legal recourse against ANL, though Harry has indicated he will continue his broader campaign against media intrusion through other means.
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🇬🇧 ⚖️ Prince Harry and Elton John on Tuesday lost their case against the Daily Mails publisher for alleged unlawful information gathering, according to a ruling by Londons High Court ➡️ u.afp.com/SKhp
bluesky_AFP English · about 4 hours ago
Prince Harry loses lawsuit against Mail publisher over phone-hacking claims
bluesky_The Guardian · about 4 hours ago
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bluesky_The Times · about 4 hours ago
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bluesky_Reuters · about 4 hours ago
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telegram_Disclose.tv · about 4 hours ago
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bluesky_Reuters · about 5 hours ago
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hotnews.ro · about 5 hours ago
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tagesspiegel · about 5 hours ago
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meduza · about 5 hours ago
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hvg.hu · about 5 hours ago
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der standard · about 5 hours ago
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