Prince Harry has lost a high-profile privacy lawsuit against the UK publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The Duke of Sussex, along with Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and several others, accused ANL of “grave breaches of privacy” through unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and landline tapping. However, the High Court ruled on Tuesday (July 7) that the claimants failed to provide convincing evidence to support their allegations.
The case, which lasted 11 weeks, involved 97 claims from the group, alleging that ANL used private investigators and other illicit means to gather information. Despite the serious nature of the accusations, Judge Matthew Nicklin determined that the claimants did not meet the required evidential burden to prove their claims.
ANL has consistently denied any wrongdoing, describing the allegations as “lurid” and “preposterous.” Following the ruling, ANL celebrated the outcome as “an overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists” and announced plans to recover legal costs, which could amount to £50 million.
The lawsuit was part of Prince Harry’s ongoing legal battles with the British press, which he blames for contributing to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and for making his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery.” Despite previous successes against other media outlets, this ruling marks a significant setback for the Duke.
While ANL’s editor-in-chief, Paul Dacre, hailed the judgment as a vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism, the claimants, including Prince Harry, have not commented on the outcome. The ruling is expected to deter future litigation related to the phone-hacking scandal era, as the court emphasized that suspicion alone is insufficient to prove unlawful information gathering.
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