Prince Harry loses privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher
A UK judge dismissed Prince Harry's claim that Associated Newspapers unlawfully obtained his personal information, citing lack of proof and faded memories, while the publisher hailed the verdict as a vindication of its journalism.
A London judge has dismissed Prince Harry's privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. The case, which also involved six other claimants such as Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, alleged unlawful information gathering through voicemail interception, phone hacking and deceptive tactics. The written judgment, issued remotely on July 7, found the claimants had not provided sufficient evidence that the newspaper obtained personal data unlawfully.
"We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither," a statement from Prince Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence said, adding that the decision represented an "inconsistency" and a "whitewash."
The judge noted that many of the alleged incidents dated back 20 to 30 years, making memories unreliable and documents unavailable, and emphasized that "suspicion is not proof." Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling, with a spokesperson describing it as a "magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail's journalism" and saying its journalists were "exonerated."
Harry, who is in the UK for a week of engagements, was photographed waving to crowds at a charity event while the verdict was announced. He will travel to Birmingham later in the week for the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, an event he founded for wounded service personnel. His wife Meghan and their children remain in California.
The lawsuit followed earlier legal actions by Harry and Meghan against British tabloids, including a 2023 damages award against Mirror Group Newspapers and a 2021 privacy case won by the duchess against the same publisher.