The Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, along with other high-profile figures, have had their claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail dismissed by a High Court judge. The group, which also included David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Sir Simon Hughes, alleged that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) engaged in unlawful information gathering, including voicemail interception, landline tapping, and obtaining information by deception, also known as "blagging." ANL strongly denied the allegations and argued that the claims were brought too late.
Judge's Ruling
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that none of the seven claimants had proven their allegations of unlawful information gathering. In his 436-page judgment, he stated: "For the reasons given in this judgment, each of the claimants’ claims is dismissed." The judge emphasized that the claimants could not rely on the argument that because information was private and ANL could not explain how it was sourced, the articles must have been unlawfully sourced. He called this approach "not permissible."
ANL's Response
ANL described the ruling as an "overwhelming victory" and a "magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism." In a statement, the publisher said: "Mr Justice Nicklin today cleared the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, and dismissed every single one of the 97 allegations made by the claimants. In every case, the judge accepted the honesty of our journalists’ evidence on how they sourced their stories." ANL added that the reputations of their journalists, which had been "terribly impugned," were now exonerated.
Context and Background
The trial, which lasted 11 weeks, heard evidence from dozens of witnesses, including the Duke of Sussex, who gave evidence in January. During cross-examination, 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 also claimed that "knowingly false" information was added to stories to conceal unlawful methods. ANL, however, argued that its journalists sourced stories legitimately through friends, social circles, press officers, and other means.
Timing of Claims
The judge also ruled that even if unlawful information gathering had been proven, the claims of Sir Simon Hughes and Sadie Frost were brought too late. Under UK law, legal action related to unlawful information gathering must be launched within six years of discovering a potential claim.
Harry's Return to the UK
The ruling came as Harry returned to the UK on Monday evening for a series of appearances, including marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games. His spokesman expressed disappointment that an offer from the King to stay at Buckingham Palace had been "withdrawn at the last moment," citing the looming judgment as the reason. Harry is said to have acted in good faith and made alternative arrangements after the offer was withdrawn.
