Shocked Prince Harry rages over whitewashed Daily Mail verdict
A shocked Prince Harry rages after a UK High Court judge dismissed his years-long lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited on Tuesday. The Duke of Sussex and co-claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence told Page Six they sought justice and accountability but received neither, branding the ruling a complete and obvious whitewash.
Key Takeaways
- A UK High Court judge ruled against Prince Harry on Tuesday morning in his case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
- Harry and six other claimants accused ANL of unlawfully obtaining private information, including via listening devices in cars and private detectives, from the 1990s to 2011.
- Judge Matthew Nicklin said the claimants had not proven that information used in articles was obtained unlawfully.
- Harry, 41, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, 73, issued a joint statement to Page Six calling the decision shocking and wholly unwarranted.
- The ruling ends this phase of Harry's legal fight against the Daily Mail publisher after a years-long tabloid trial.
What did the UK High Court decide in Prince Harry's tabloid trial?
On Tuesday morning, Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled against Prince Harry in his case against ANL. The royal and six fellow claimants had brought a years-long lawsuit accusing the publisher of using unlawful methods to gather material for stories.
The judge acknowledged that the allegations were serious. However, he found that the group had not proven the information ANL used for its articles was obtained unlawfully.
In his summary, Nicklin rejected the argument that private information alone—and ANL's inability to positively explain how it was sourced—meant an article must have been unlawfully sourced, as CNN reported.
What was Prince Harry's lawsuit against the Daily Mail about?
Harry filed suit against ANL alongside six other claimants, alleging the company illegally obtained information to fuel coverage. The case targeted the publisher behind the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.
According to Page Six, the lawsuit claimed ANL used tactics including listening devices placed in cars and private detectives to gather material between the 1990s and 2011. Harry accused the group of unlawfully obtaining information used in tabloid articles.
The dispute has been one of the most closely watched celebrity lawsuits in Britain. For more on royal legal battles and tabloid trials, follow our Celebrity Breaking News section.
Why does Prince Harry call the ruling an 'obvious whitewash'?
In a joint statement to Page Six on Tuesday, Harry and Lawrence did not mince words. "We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither," they said.
The pair argued the court showed "inconsistency which is hard to understand or reconcile with common sense" by dismissing evidence heard during the trial. They called the outcome "a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected."
"However, the lengths to which the court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted," Harry and Lawrence added. They alleged that while claimants presented evidence, Mail journalists offered denials and the court "chose uncritically to believe them, even in the face of inconsistencies, contradictions and blatant untruths."
Who joined Prince Harry in blasting the court decision?
Baroness Doreen Lawrence stood alongside the Duke of Sussex in the statement released to Page Six. At 73, she joined Harry, 41, in condemning how the court handled evidence presented during the tabloid trial.
Page Six described the "Spare" author as shocked by the outcome. Together, the claimants framed the judgment as a sweeping exoneration of the Mail that ignored what they said were clear problems in journalists' testimony.
Their remarks landed the same day the High Court formally dismissed the group's claims against one of the UK's biggest newspaper publishers, capping a case Harry had pursued for years.