Prince Harry Suffers Defeat In Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher

July 07, () — Prince Harry has lost his privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the “Daily Mail”, “The Mail on Sunday” and MailOnline.

In a written judgment delivered on Tuesday, July 7, the UK High Court dismissed all claims brought by Harry and six other high-profile figures, including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, David Furnish and Simon Hughes.

The group accused Associated Newspapers of using unlawful methods to gather information for articles published between the 1990s and 2013. The allegations included phone hacking, landline tapping, bugging homes and cars, hiring private investigators, and obtaining personal information through deception.

However, Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled that the claimants failed to prove their case. He said there was insufficient evidence to show the information had been obtained unlawfully and found there were lawful ways the newspaper could have obtained it, including through friends, royal aides and other sources.

Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling, describing it as an “overwhelming victory” for the publisher and its journalists.

The decision is a major setback in Prince Harry’s long-running legal battle against the British tabloid press. He previously won a phone-hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers and reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers, the publisher of “The Sun”.

The trial lasted 11 weeks, with legal costs estimated at around £50 million (about $67 million). A separate hearing to determine who will pay the legal costs is scheduled for later this month.

The ruling comes as Prince Harry is in the UK for charity engagements and activities marking the countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.