Prince Harry loses High Court battle with Daily Mail publisher after failing to prove phone hacking

Prince Harry and six others lose legal battle against government Daily Mail after the publisher accused the newspaper of illegally intercepting his voicemails.

A judge ruled that the group “failed to prove its allegations of illegal information collection” at Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

During the 11-week High Court hearing earlier this year, a tearful Duke of Sussex said ANL had “made my wife’s life a complete misery” and described intrusions into the private life of his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy by members of the newspaper group.

She was joined by Sir Elton John and his wife David Furnish, actors Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and politician Sir Simon Hughes, who accused the broadcaster of tapping landlines and obtaining information through deception, also known as “blagging”, carried out by private detectives, freelance journalists and ANL staff.

ANL vehemently denied the allegations and defended the case, saying it “constituted a complete defense on the merits to all parts of the allegations” and that the lawsuits were filed too late.

The broadcaster said the Supreme Court decision was a “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication”. Daily Mailjournalism”.

ANL added: “The reputations of our honest and hard-working journalists were horribly damaged and today they have been exonerated.

“As the decision clearly shows, each article was taken from legitimate sources.”

In his 436-page decision, Mr Justice Nicklin said he accepted the lies of ANL journalists who “made lawful statements about the source of the controversial articles and events”.

He added that the plaintiffs had failed to prove that three senior figures at the publisher, including former editors Paul Dacre and Peter Wright, had lied in their evidence relating to the Leveson Inquiry investigation into the practices of the British press.

The decision comes after it was announced on Monday that the duke will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his return to England this week; as accommodation arrangements for his trip were thrown into chaos.

A spokesman for Harry said it was “disappointing” that the King’s offer had been “withdrawn at the last minute” and pointed to the impending decision in the duke’s case against the ANL as the reason.

During nearly two hours of cross-examination in the case against ANL in January, Harry said he could not complain about some of the 14 articles in his case at the time “because of the institution I was in”.

He repeatedly denied having “leaky” social circles, adding that if he suspected anyone, “I would have to cut off contact with that person.”

About 40 former and current Daily Mail And mail on sunday journalists, editors and executives took the witness stand; Two royal correspondents claimed to have developed sources from the prince’s inner circle.

The duke also claimed it was “beyond cruel” to publish an article about his “secret discussions” after the photo of the dying Princess Diana was published in the Italian press.

He insisted that intimate details of his relationship with Ms Davy, including a campfire conversation with friends in Botswana, had been uncovered by intercepting her communications and listening to voicemails.

Meanwhile, Lady Lawrence claimed: Daily Mail He was pretending to support him in getting justice for his son Stephen Lawrence, who was killed in a racist attack in 1993.

His lawyers claim he was “extensively targeted” by private detectives for information, including bribe payments to police.

Sir Elton and Mr Furnish claimed 10 articles about them were based on illegal information gathering, including illegally obtained medical information and tapping landlines.

While the couple claims their son Zachary’s birth certificate was stolen without being given a copy, the “Rocketman” singer told the court that their case “involves the scariest things you’ll ever encounter in the world in terms of privacy.”

Part of Ms. Frost’s claim related to an unpublished paper from 2003 about ectopic pregnancy; Frost said he only told his partner and “maybe also one of his very close friends.”

The group’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said an ANL journalist found details about the pregnancy and subsequent termination “must have resulted from illegal information gathering”.

Former Daily Mail In his written statement, editor Paul Dacre said it was “inconceivable” that anyone at the paper could have carried out the alleged activities.

He later said the allegations had had a “deeply distressing” and sometimes “traumatic” impact on staff at the newspaper, adding: “I have witnessed the suffering of honest, dedicated journalists who have had an insidious dark shadow hanging over their lives for three years.”

The hearing also heard arguments about whether the cases were filed in a timely manner; because the law states that legal proceedings for illegal information collection must be initiated within six years of someone discovering they may have a claim.