High Court dismisses Prince Harry’s £50 million lawsuit, Daily Mail emerges victorious

The High Court in London has dismissed the £50 million lawsuit filed by Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and several well-known public figures, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The case was examined over three months, and in the end Judge Nicklin dismissed all 97 claims raised in the proceedings.

The plaintiffs had alleged that Associated Newspapers obtained information illegally, including through phone hacking and invasion of privacy. However, the court accepted the denials presented regarding any form of unlawful data collection, as well as the testimony of the company’s journalists.

The ruling states that Associated Newspapers journalists provided credible explanations for how the published information had been obtained.

After the ruling was announced, a spokesperson for Associated Newspapers described it as “a crushing victory for the Daily Mail, its journalists and press freedom.” He also stressed that the most serious allegations, such as installing bugging devices, monitoring phone calls and accessing bank accounts, were not supported by credible evidence.

Prince Harry had traveled from California to London to testify in court. During his testimony, he also spoke about the impact that, according to him, media pressure has had on his wife, Meghan Markle, calling the situation an “absolute misery.” The judge found Harry’s testimony to be sincere, but stressed that its emotional content did not change the facts on which the final decision was based.