Prince Harry Launches Appeal Over Dismissed Daily Mail Privacy Claims
After the verdict, Harry and another claimant had dubbed the verdict a “complete and obvious whitewash”.
Prince Harry faced a legal setback as a High Court judge dismissed his privacy breach claims against the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday in July, citing insufficient evidence. Harry and other claimants incurred legal costs of up to $66 million (£50 million) after losing the initial case, having already been ordered to pay over $12.69 million (£9.5 million) as an interim sum. In the latest development, the Duke and other claimants have launched a fresh appeal challenging the High Court verdict.
“We confirm that the claimants have today filed applications with the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the judgments of Mr Justice Nicklin in respect of his dismissal of their claims and the indemnity costs order. The claimants respectfully disagree with those unprecedented decisions, which they consider to be legally and factually flawed," a spokesperson confirmed.
On Friday, court staff confirmed that an appeal application has been filed. During the trial, claimants' barristers alleged that private investigators, freelance journalists, and Associated Newspapers staff engaged in acts such as voicemail interception, landline tapping, and obtaining information by deception. The publisher's lawyers argued that Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday journalists showed a valid pattern of sourcing articles through various channels, including friends, social circles, press officers, and prior reports. Associated's legal team dismissed the allegations as "lurid" and "preposterous."
After the verdict, former Mail editor Paul Dacre described the case as a "conspiracy" led by press regulation campaigners aimed at "destroying a paper."
Harry and Lawrence had dubbed the verdict a “complete and obvious whitewash”. They added: “When the court says there is not sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, then one does wonder how justice was ever going to be achieved.” In August, the Duke of Sussex, along with six other prominent claimants, were required to make an interim payment of $12.69 million (£9.54 million) within seven days to cover the legal costs of the Daily Mail's publisher following a High Court ruling.
ANL's total legal costs were stated to be over $46 million (£34.5 million). The claimants, including Doreen Lawrence and Elton John, had requested just over $11 million (£7.9 million). The payment was due by 4 pm on 28 August. In civil cases, the losing party must reimburse the winner's "reasonable" legal fees and cover its own legal costs.
