UK High Court Dismisses Prince Harry and Six Others’ Privacy Claims Against Daily Mail Publisher

A UK High Court judge dismissed privacy lawsuits Tuesday brought by Prince Harry and six other claimants against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail. Judge Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the claimants had failed to prove the allegations of voicemail interception, phone tapping and obtaining private records through deception between 1993 and 2011.

The judge stated that suspicion alone was not enough and that the claimants had to prove the information used by the publisher had been obtained unlawfully.

The suits were filed in 2022. Associated Newspapers Limited denied any wrongdoing and maintained that its journalists used legitimate sources. Prince Harry arrived in London on Monday evening for a week of engagements marking one year until the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

His wife and children remained in California after security arrangements could not be finalized. He attended a separate charity event in London on Tuesday after the ruling was issued remotely. The publisher welcomed the decision, stating it was an overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists.

In every case, the judge accepted the honesty of the journalists’ evidence on how they sourced their stories, according to the publisher.