Daily Mail publisher defeats Prince Harry in privacy lawsuit – THISAGE

By Ayo Kehinde

Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of “Daily Mail,” “The Mail on Sunday” and MailOnline, has defeated Prince in a privacy lawsuit.

In a written ruling issued on Tuesday 7 July, the UK High Court rejected all claims brought by Harry and six other high-profile figures, including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, David Furnish and Simon Hughes.

The group accused Associated Newspapers of using illegal methods to gather information for articles published between the 1990s and 2013. The charges included computer hacking, wiretapping landlines, bugging homes and cars, hiring private investigators, and obtaining personal information through deception.

Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled that the appellants had failed to prove their case. It said there was insufficient evidence to show the information had been obtained illegally and found there were legitimate ways the newspaper could have obtained it, including through friends, royal aides and other sources.

Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling, describing it as a “landslide victory” for the publisher and its journalists.

The decision represents a major setback in Prince Harry’s long legal battle against the British tabloid press. He had previously won a hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers and reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers, the publisher of “The Sun”.

The trial lasted 11 weeks, with legal costs estimated at around £50 million (around $67 million). A separate hearing to determine who will pay attorney’s fees is scheduled for later this month.

The ruling comes as Prince Harry is in the UK for charity commitments and activities marking the countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

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