Prince Harry has lost his High Court privacy case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, alongside six other high-profile claimants.
The group accused the publisher of using unlawful methods to obtain private information, including phone tapping, voicemail interception and deception. Associated Newspapers strongly denied all the allegations.
Following the ruling, entertainment reporter Peter Ford questioned why Meghan Markle was not present in court to support her husband.
Speaking on 3AW Breakfast, Ford described her absence as “very, very odd,” noting that the case could have become one of Harry’s biggest public victories.
“Yesterday could have been his greatest triumph ever,” he said. “Either way, wouldn’t your partner want to be there to support you through that?”
In his judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the claimants had not provided enough evidence to prove that unlawful information-gathering methods had been used.
He said the allegations were serious and required strong, convincing evidence, adding that the claimants could not rely solely on “suspicion, even where understandable.”
The judge accepted the explanations given by Associated Newspapers journalists, who said the disputed stories and information had been obtained through lawful sources.
Prince Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1993, released a joint statement expressing disappointment with the decision.
“We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither,” they said.
They described the ruling as “a complete and obvious whitewash,” adding that the outcome was “sadly not altogether unexpected.”
Associated Newspapers welcomed the judgment, with a spokesperson calling it an “overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists.”
The ruling marks a significant legal setback for Prince Harry, who has pursued several cases against British newspaper publishers over alleged privacy violations and unlawful reporting practices.
