Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other claimants have lost their High Court privacy case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Judge Matthew Nicklin dismissed every claim, ruling that suspicion of unlawful information-gathering, including phone tapping, voicemail interception, and impersonation, wasn’t enough without proof of how information was actually obtained.
The claims covered roughly 50 articles published between the 1990s and 2011. Harry’s own claim reportedly sought as much as £50 million in damages.
Harry and fellow claimant Doreen Lawrence called the ruling “shocking” and said they’d received “neither justice nor accountability.” A spokesperson for the publisher called it an “overwhelming victory.”
This marks Harry’s third major legal battle with the British press. He previously won a partial victory against Mirror Group Newspapers in 2023, and Rupert Murdoch’s News Group apologised and paid damages in a 2025 settlement.
The ruling landed during a rare UK visit by Harry, tied to Invictus Games engagements, that also drew attention over his decision not to stay at Buckingham Palace.
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