Prince Harry has suffered another setback in his long-running legal battle against the British press. A UK court has dismissed the Duke of Sussex’s lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, ruling that the claims brought by Harry and several other prominent figures were not proven. The judgment brings an end to one of the highest-profile media cases in recent years after an extensive trial that lasted nearly three months.
The case attracted widespread attention because of the serious allegations made against the newspaper publisher. Alongside Prince Harry, several well-known public figures claimed they had been victims of unlawful information gathering over many years. Associated Newspapers consistently denied all allegations throughout the proceedings.
Court Rejects Claims Against Daily Mail Publisher
Prince Harry joined the legal action in 2022 alongside Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, campaigner Doreen Lawrence and former politician Sir Simon Hughes. The group accused Associated Newspapers of engaging in unlawful practices, including phone hacking, tapping landline telephones and placing listening devices in homes and vehicles to obtain private information.
Following an 11-week trial, the court ruled that none of the claimants had successfully proved their allegations. While delivering the judgment, Judge Nicklin criticised parts of the legal arguments presented during the case, particularly accusations that employees of Associated Newspapers had lied during the Leveson Inquiry into the culture and practices of the British press.
The judge wrote, “The allegations were extremely serious. Yet… they were not consistently anchored to identified statements which were put to the relevant witness as deliberate falsehoods.” He added that the arguments shifted over time and concluded, “This is not how allegations of this seriousness should be advanced.”
Judge Comments On Prince Harry’s Evidence
Judge Nicklin also reflected on Prince Harry’s testimony during the proceedings. While acknowledging that the Duke wanted the court to understand the personal impact of media intrusion, the judge observed that his evidence occasionally moved beyond factual testimony into broader arguments about the case itself.
In the written judgment, Judge Nicklin stated, “In assessing Prince Harry’s evidence overall, it was apparent that he wished the Court to understand the personal impact of the matters in issue. At times, this led him beyond giving factual evidence into advancing arguments on the issues…Overall, this did not affect the quality of Prince Harry’s evidence, which I accept. As with each of the Claimants, Prince Harry has limited evidence to give on the contentious matters in dispute.”
A separate hearing will now determine how legal costs will be handled. The lengthy trial is estimated to have generated legal expenses of around $40 million, making it one of the most expensive media cases heard in recent years.
Another Chapter In Harry’s Legal Battle With The Press
The ruling adds to Prince Harry’s lengthy history of legal action involving British newspapers. In previous years, he secured a partial victory against Mirror Group Newspapers over unlawful information gathering before later reaching a settlement. He also settled a separate legal dispute with News Group Newspapers involving similar allegations.
Harry has also pursued legal action against the UK government regarding his security arrangements after stepping back from royal duties, but ultimately lost that challenge. He previously filed a libel claim against Associated Newspapers over reporting linked to the security case before later withdrawing that lawsuit.
Responding to the latest judgment, an Associated Newspapers spokesperson welcomed the court’s decision, saying, “This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism. The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated. As the judgment clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced. We will look to resolve outstanding issues, including the recovery of the costs we have incurred while defending ourselves against this egregious litigation.”
The decision comes as Prince Harry is back in the United Kingdom this week to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, the international sporting event he founded for wounded and injured military veterans. However, his legal challenges are not yet over. Earlier this year, Harry was also sued for defamation by Sentebale, the charity he co-founded, following a public dispute involving the organisation’s chair, Sophie Chandauka.
