No privacy win: Prince Harry’s seven-year war on British tabloids ends with a royal setback

LONDON, July 8 — Prince Harry’s years-long legal campaign against Britain’s tabloid press suffered a major setback yesterday after he lost his privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, in what is expected to be his final court battle with the newspaper.

The Duke of Sussex was among seven claimants, including high-profile singer Sir Elton John, who accused Associated Newspapers of unlawfully obtaining private information for stories published in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday between the 1990s and 2011.

Calling the decision “a complete and obvious whitewash”, Harry criticised the ruling in a joint statement with fellow claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in 1993.

The group alleged journalists obtained information through methods including private investigators, phone hacking, landline tapping and “blagging” — tricking people into revealing confidential details such as medical records.

Associated Newspapers denied any wrongdoing and hailed the judgment as “an overwhelming victory” for the newspaper and press freedom, saying it would seek to recover its legal costs after a trial it estimated cost more than £50 million (RM288 million).

In a column published today, Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover described the verdict as “nothing less than a conspiracy to destroy the Daily Mail. Thankfully a judge had the good sense to reject it – but the enemies of a free Press won’t go away”. 

He argued the ruling was a major boost for Britain's newspaper industry after years of declining print circulation and costly legal battles.

Glover also said the case had taken a heavy toll on the publisher, citing legal costs exceeding £50 million (RM288 million) and the strain on dozens of journalists who testified during the 11-week trial. 

He noted the judge found the claimants had limited direct evidence after a key witness withdrew an earlier statement, while praising the integrity of several Daily Mail journalists who appeared in court.

In his ruling, High Court judge Matthew Nicklin said the claimants had to prove information had been obtained unlawfully, adding that “privacy alone does not prove unlawful acquisition”.

The younger son of King Charles who now lives in California has spent years taking on British newspaper publishers, blaming the media for the relentless scrutiny that he says contributed to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and later targeted his wife Meghan.

He previously won a case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror and settled another with Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper group, but the latest defeat marks a significant setback in his campaign against the British press.

Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, who has repeatedly clashed with Harry, welcomed the outcome.

“I feel sorry for the way a confused and angry young man has been drawn into this case,” Dacre said.