Lawyers for Prince Harry and six other public figures are seeking “substantial” damages for invasion of privacy from the publishing company of the “Daily Mail,” following the conclusion of the trial in the High Court of London on Tuesday.
These claimants, including Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, accuse Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the owner of the “Daily Mail” and “Mail on Sunday,” of obtaining information about them illegally. The defense, however, dismisses the claims as “speculations.”
During the trial that lasted over two months, these public figures gave emotional testimonies, accusing tabloids of intercepting voicemails, listening in on phone conversations, and lying to obtain medical information for over fifty articles published between 1993 and 2018.
“It is requested that the Court grant substantial damages (…) to each of the claimants for the abusive use of private information about them,” their lawyers stated in their final written submissions. The judge, Matthew Nicklin, mentioned that the written verdict would take “some time” to be issued. This is the latest legal action taken against tabloids by Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, who has been fighting against the powerful British tabloid press for several years.
Harry, who now resides in California with his wife Meghan and their two children, blames the paparazzi for his mother Diana’s death in Paris in 1997. He also accuses the press of harassing Meghan. During his testimony in court in January, he tearfully accused tabloids of making his wife’s life “absolutely unbearable” and described how the intrusion of newspapers into his private life made him “extremely paranoid.” Harry, 41, stepped back from the royal family in 2020 and moved to the United States.
“It is argued that ordinary and legitimate journalism, based on previous reporting or confidential sources, is more likely than phone hacking, phone tapping, or other forms of illegal information gathering,” he argued in court. However, Antony White acknowledged the use of private detectives in some cases to obtain phone numbers and addresses.
The Chief reporter of the “Daily Mail,” Sam Greenhill, dismissed the phone tapping allegations as “absolute nonsense” in court. Another journalist, Barbara Jones, claimed that she had found information about Harry’s former girlfriend within the rules.
Prince Harry and the other claimants assert that their close ones would never disclose the private information published in the articles in question. Testifying in January, British actress Liz Hurley broke down in tears, accusing tabloids of placing microphones on the windows of her house, revealing “monstrous” behavior.
Elton John also expressed his anger in a video statement in February, condemning the “disgraceful” violations of his privacy by the publications, accused of accessing medical data surrounding the birth of his son Zachary.
Context: Prince Harry and several other well-known figures file a lawsuit against the publishing company of the “Daily Mail” for invading their privacy. Fact Check: It is true that Prince Harry has been vocal about his disdain for the intrusive behavior of the media, particularly towards his family.
