Prince Harry failed to prove the Daily Mail’s publisher obtained private information through unlawful methods, ending the Duke of Sussex’s latest attempt to hold a British tabloid accountable in court.
MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Prince Harry lost his latest court battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail on Tuesday after a High Court judge dismissed all of the Duke of Sussex’s claims that journalists used unlawful methods to obtain private information for stories about him.
The ruling ends a yearslong lawsuit brought by Harry and six other high-profile figures, including singer Elton John and actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline.
After a 46-day trial, High Court Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled the claimants “failed to prove their pleaded allegations” that Associated Newspapers used unlawful information-gathering methods.
He wrote that “suspicion, even where understandable, was not enough” and said the claimants had to prove the information “had been obtained unlawfully.”
Nicklin said the court rejected the argument that simply because stories contained private information, they must have been sourced illegally. “The claims are therefore dismissed,” he concluded.
Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling as “an overwhelming victory” and “a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism.”
“The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated,” a company spokesperson said. “As the judgment clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced.”
The publisher said it would seek to recover its legal costs.
Prince Harry did not immediately respond to the verdict.
The court will hold a further hearing on July 29 and 30 to resolve remaining issues, including costs.
Harry’s latest tabloid battle
The case centered on 14 newspaper articles published between 2001 and 2013 that Harry said relied on unlawfully obtained private information.
During emotional evidence at trial in January, he accused Associated Newspapers of commercializing his private life and said the publisher had “made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”
Harry joined six other claimants: anti-racism campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, singer Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost and former lawmaker Simon Hughes.
They claimed Associated Newspapers obtained information illegally through phone hacking, “blagging” — obtaining information by deception — and the use of private investigators, among other techniques.
Associated denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings, arguing its journalism relied on lawful reporting methods.
The decision marks Harry’s first defeat in his campaign of lawsuits against Britain’s tabloid press after previous victories against other newspaper publishers.
In 2023, he won 15 claims against Mirror Group Newspapers after a judge found journalists had unlawfully gathered information and awarded him damages. In 2025, he also received substantial damages and an apology after settling claims against the publisher of the Sun.
Royal tensions resurface
Tuesday’s ruling came as Harry’s visit to London was overshadowed by conflicting accounts over where he would stay during the trip, exposing continuing strains between the prince and Buckingham Palace.
Earlier Monday, Harry’s office said he had accepted an invitation to stay at the royal residence during his visit. Buckingham Palace later said he would not be staying there.
A spokesperson for Harry subsequently said they understood the offer had been withdrawn, describing the decision as “disappointing.”
The episode added to renewed scrutiny of Harry’s fractured relationship with the royal family.
The duke, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and now lives in California with his wife, Meghan, and their children, Archie and Lilibet, will attend engagements alone because his family remains in the United States over security concerns.
Harry is spending the week attending engagements and promoting the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded and sick military veterans that he founded.
The schedule includes a visit to Birmingham, which will host the next Invictus Games.
His visit also prompted speculation about whether he might meet King Charles III in an effort to improve relations, although no meeting has been confirmed. He is also not expected to see his older brother, Prince William, heir to the British throne.
Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.
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