Prince Harry reportedly made a final push to settle his $67 million UK lawsuit before facing defeat in court. London High Court dismissed his privacy claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The Duke of Sussex was one of the high-profile claimants, including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, who alleged that ANL used unlawful methods over 30 years to obtain private information.
Prince Harry reportedly made a lawsuit settlement bid before court’s decision
In a last effort to avoid a courtroom defeat, Prince Harry reportedly put forward a settlement proposal to Associated Newspapers Ltd just before the judge ruled on his privacy claim.
On July 7, a High Court judge rejected all claims from the 41-year-old and six other public figures. Their long-standing lawsuit alleged that Associated Newspapers Limited, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, carried out unlawful information gathering.
Prince Harry was in London when the ruling was announced. He called it “a complete and obvious whitewash” and will be able to challenge aspects of the resulting orders at a hearing later this month on July 29 and 30. Yet a new Telegraph report claims that he and the other claimants had attempted to reach a settlement with the defendants before the trial started.
In a report published on July 8, the outlet alleged that the Duke’s lawyers used “intermediaries” like a retired detective and a former Independent editor. The goal was to create a “backchannel” and propose a deal to Associated Newspapers before court, but ANL refused to settle. The publisher aimed to “clear its name” and pushed for a January trial.
The Telegraph reported that, ahead of the trial, there were last-minute settlement offers. The proposals involved “huge amounts of money” and came with “increasing urgency, right up until the 11th hour.”
Another informal attempt to settle, involving a former News of the World reporter, also fell apart. ANL has put the legal costs at $67 million, which the claimants may now have to pay.
