Prince Harry has strongly criticized a High Court ruling that dismissed his privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, accusing the court of going to extraordinary lengths to protect the publisher of the Daily Mail.
In a statement released shortly after Mr. Justice Nicklin delivered his judgment, the Duke of Sussex said he was deeply disappointed by the outcome and questioned the court's handling of the case.
"We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither," Harry said in a joint statement with fellow claimant Baroness Lawrence.
The Duke argued that the decision conflicted with earlier rulings in phone-hacking cases involving News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers. He claimed previous courts had accepted evidence of unlawful information gathering by private investigators, but said similar findings had been disregarded in this case.
Describing the judgment as "a complete and obvious whitewash," Harry said the outcome was disappointing but "not altogether unexpected." He also claimed the court had gone to "shocking" and "totally unwarranted" lengths to clear Associated Newspapers of wrongdoing.
Harry further argued that the evidence presented during the trial demonstrated misconduct, despite the judge's conclusion that the claimants had failed to prove their allegations.
As examples, the Duke referred to evidence involving private investigators allegedly linked to the newspaper, including claims that one investigator admitted to unlawfully obtaining information about Baroness Lawrence, while another allegedly secured confidential travel details for payment. Harry maintained that such evidence should have been given greater weight by the court.
The High Court dismissed the claims after ruling that the claimants had not established that the information published by Associated Newspapers had been obtained unlawfully. Associated Newspapers welcomed the judgment, describing it as a complete victory and continuing to deny any wrongdoing.
