After years of legal battles with the British tabloid press, Prince Harry has suffered one of the biggest defeats of his campaign. On Tuesday, High Court judge Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin dismissed all 97 allegations against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The younger son of King Charles III has long argued that his lawsuits were intended to hold media executives accountable for practices he says undermined journalism. However, the ruling rejected claims that Associated Newspapers had systematically gathered information through unlawful means, marking a significant setback in his legal campaign.
Harry has repeatedly linked his fight against the tabloids to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and to the media scrutiny directed at his wife, Meghan. He has argued that the newspapers made Meghan's life an “absolute misery" and said his campaign was about defending the privacy of all those whose personal lives had been unlawfully invaded.
Associated Newspapers welcomed the ruling, calling it an “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication” of its journalism. Harry's long-running dispute with the British press has also coincided with a deterioration in his relationship with the royal family following his decision to step back from royal duties in 2020 and move to California.
(Reuters, bak)