Prince Harry suffered another legal setback after losing his years-long privacy battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The ruling marked the end of one of the Duke of Sussex’s biggest legal fights against Britain’s tabloid press.
The decision arrived while Harry was back in the U.K. for engagements tied to the 2027 Invictus Games. It also added another chapter to his long-running campaign against British newspapers over alleged privacy violations.
Prince Harry lost his High Court privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers
According to PEOPLE, Harry was among seven high-profile claimants who sued Associated Newspapers in 2022. The group, which also included Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, and Sir Simon Hughes, alleged that they were victims of unlawful information gathering.
The claimants argued that journalists had obtained information through phone hacking, landline tapping, bugging homes and cars, and other illegal methods. Associated Newspapers denied the allegations throughout the case.
Following an 11-week trial, Mr. Justice Nicklin dismissed every claim. According to The Guardian, the judge ruled that the claimants had failed to prove the information had been obtained unlawfully. The judgment also stated that the court could not assume illegal activity if there were legitimate ways the stories could have been sourced.
During the trial, Harry testified that the Daily Mail titles had made Meghan Markle’s life “an absolute misery,” according to USA Today. He also said articles published between 2001 and 2013 left him “paranoid beyond belief” and feeling as though he was living under constant surveillance.
Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling.
“This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism,” a spokesperson said in a statement shared by People. “The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated.”
The publisher also maintained that every article challenged during the case had been obtained through legitimate reporting methods.
The lawsuit marked Harry’s latest attempt to hold British tabloids accountable. He previously secured a partial victory against Mirror Group Newspapers and reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers. However, he also lost his legal challenge over government-funded security and withdrew a separate libel claim against Associated Newspapers.
Harry’s legal battles are not over yet. According to People, he is also facing a defamation lawsuit filed by Sentebale chair Sophie Chandauka following a public dispute involving the charity he co-founded.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT PRINCE HARRY LOST HIS HIGH-PROFILE CASE AGAINST THE DAILY MAIL’S PUBLISHER?
Originally reported by Vanshika Vasundhare Singh on Reality Tea
