UK High Court dismisses Prince Harry privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher
Prince Harry and six other public figures lost a privacy case against Associated Newspapers Ltd, with the judge ruling that the claimants failed to prove unlawful sourcing of information.
A UK High Court judge dismissed all claims brought by Prince Harry and six other public figures against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail, on Tuesday. Judge Matthew Nicklin said the claimants had not provided sufficient evidence that the information used in the newspaper’s stories between 1993 and 2011 was obtained unlawfully, noting that suspicion alone was insufficient.
"The court rejected the argument that, simply because information was private, and because Associated could not positively explain how it had been sourced, the relevant article must have been unlawfully sourced," the judge wrote in his summary.
The plaintiffs, which included singer Elton John and his husband David Furness, actress Elizabeth Hurley, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost and former politician Simon Hughes, alleged that ANL employed private investigators to intercept voicemails, tap phones and obtain private records through deception.
ANL welcomed the ruling, stating that the judgment affirmed the honesty of its journalists and that each article was sourced legitimately. The publisher also indicated it would seek recovery of legal costs incurred defending the case.
Prince Harry, who returned to the United Kingdom on Monday, began a week of engagements marking the upcoming 2027 Invictus Games. His wife Meghan and their children did not travel with him due to security considerations.