Judge dismisses Prince Harry’s privacy invasion lawsuit against publisher of Daily Mail
Judge dismisses Prince Harry’s privacy invasion lawsuit against publisher of Daily Mail
Publish Date: 2026-07-07 11:31:00
Source Domain: www.dallasnews.com
FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry arrives at London’s High Court to lead a group, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, accusing the Daily Mail’s publisher of privacy invasion through unlawful tactics in a trial that is part of a wider phone hacking scandal in London, on Jan. 21, 2026.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry ’s final lawsuit aimed at taming the British tabloids ended in defeat Tuesday as a judge said he failed to prove his privacy invasion claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Justice Matthew Nicklin rejected the broad inferences the Duke of Sussex relied on to try to show that Associated Newspapers Ltd. engaged in unlawful activities. He said there was a shortage of evidence to support the claims and found a possibility that the news stories came from legitimate sources.
“In substance, the claimants’ case invites the Court to conclude that, because the information was private and because Associated cannot positively explain how it was sourced, the article must have been unlawfully sourced,” Nicklin wrote. “That is not a permissible approach.”
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The ruling scuttles a bid by Harry and six others, including singer Elton John and actor-model Elizabeth Hurley, which sought substantial damages but could leave them with massive legal bills. Updated estimates by ANL put legal costs for both sides above 50 million pounds ($67 million) for years of case preparation and an 11-week trial.
The publisher called it an “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication” of the Mail’s journalism.
The newspapers had denied the allegations as “preposterous,” insisting the roughly 50 articles at issue were based on lawful sources including friends, royal aides and publicists who offered information to reporters.
The 436-page decision leaves a mixed legacy for Harry’s trio of lawsuits accusing tabloid publishers of using unlawful tactics, such as phone hacking, or hiring…
