Prince Harry has reportedly addressed losing his privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail. The case was closely watched as part of his ongoing legal battles with UK newspapers. The lawsuit tied into a broader effort by the Duke of Sussex and other public figures to challenge alleged privacy violations by the media.
Prince Harry says he didn’t get ‘justice’ after Daily Mail privacy lawsuit loss
Prince Harry has spoken out after losing his High Court privacy case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL). The 41-year-old argued that 14 articles were sourced using unlawful information-gathering techniques.
The Duke of Sussex and Baroness Doreen Lawrence released a joint statement saying: “It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected. We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither.”
As reported by the Daily Express, the pair further stated that the judgment reversed earlier positions taken by judges in successful hacking claims against News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers, with the same judge presiding at the time. They also argued that the court ignored broader findings on private investigators. In related cases, judges determined that those investigators engaged in unlawful activity at the same time involving similar stories and public figures.
Prince Harry joined claimants such as Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Baroness Lawrence in alleging that the newspaper engaged in unlawful information gathering. The methods cited included landline interception and deception to obtain private details. The court heard that the claimants experienced “violation”, “profound betrayal” and “shock and horror”.
The allegations cover unlawful methods such as voicemail interception, landline tapping, and obtaining information through deception, also known as “blagging”. The litigants accused private investigators, freelance journalists and ANL employees of using these methods.
ANL, however, stated that it “has established a complete defence to all parts of the claims on the merits”. The company further argued that the claims were filed too late.
In a post-verdict statement, an ANL spokesperson said: “Associated Newspapers welcomes today’s judgement, which is an overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists, and for a free press generally.”
