Prince Harry and six other prominent figures, including Sir Elton John, have lost their High Court case against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. The court dismissed all claims, stating that the claimants had not proved that the information published about them had been obtained unlawfully.
The lawsuit alleged that the publisher used an array of unlawful methods over two decades to source stories, including tapping phones, intercepting voicemails, and using deception to obtain personal information. This case marks the latest suit in the Duke of Sussex's yearslong campaign and series of legal battles against British tabloids over press intrusion.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers Limited denied the allegations, asserting that the stories were the result of ordinary, legitimate journalism rather than phone hacking or other unlawful means. They argued that it was unlikely that 40 journalists would have engaged in serious unlawful information gathering without providing witness statements or facing cross-examination. This ruling is likely to signal an end to new litigation relating to the phone-hacking scandal.