Harry, Elton John and Six Others Lose Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher

Overview

• The High Court of Justice dismissed all 97 allegations against Associated Newspapers Limited in a judgment published on Tuesday, rejecting claims of illegal newsgathering that the plaintiffs said occurred between 1993 and 2018.
• The 11-week trial earlier this year examined accusations that tabloids used private investigators to intercept voicemails, listen to calls and invent material, but the court said the claimants did not prove those practices occurred as alleged.
• Associated Newspapers hailed the decision as a decisive vindication of the Daily Mail’s reporting, while Prince Harry described the verdict as "shocking" and called it an "absolute and evident cover-up."
• The seven claimants had sought substantial damages; the ruling is a major legal setback for Prince Harry’s long-running campaign against tabloid intrusion despite his earlier successes against other publishers in 2023 and 2025.
• The judgment leaves open broader questions about how hard it is to prove decades-old media misconduct in civil courts and does not announce any new criminal investigations tied to the allegations.