Prince Harry has spoken out after he and six other claimants lost their High Court privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Tuesday, July 7th. And according to the statement his spokesperson released after the ruling, he is not happy, albeit not surprised.
The Duke of Sussex and other claimants, including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, argued that the newspaper group that publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday allegedly used unlawful methods, such as phone hacking, to obtain information for its articles – allegations ANL denied.
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Prince Harry Speaks Out Following Privacy Case Ruling
According to the BBC, Mr Justice Nicklin said the claimants failed to prove the allegations of unlawful information gathering, leading to his ruling. A spokesperson for the publisher described the judgment as an "overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists."
Prince Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, another claimant whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1993, said in a joint statement: "We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither."
"It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected," the statement continued. "The lengths to which the Court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted."
Losing The Court Case Will Reportedly Hurt Prince Harry Financially
This is a huge blow to Prince Harry, and one which could hurt him and his family financially, as the combined legal costs from the trial are estimated at around $53.5M. The ruling also leaves Harry and his co-claimants to cover their own legal expenses and pay millions towards the Mail's costs.
Speaking on The Royalist podcast, royal author Valentine Low said: "The Mail was the target he really had in his sights, and it meant a lot to him. And to lose that one and to lose it so comprehensively is very wounding."
"Meghan's going to have to sell a whole lot more jam. I'm serious," Low said, in reference to Meghan's As Ever jam. "Harry's not got that kind of money. So, one does wonder... who's bankrolling this court case because there's no way Harry's got all those millions to pay all those legal costs."
Prince Harry's UK Trip Called A 'Disaster' By Royal Experts
The ruling came on day one of Prince Harry's trip to the U.K., where he is marking the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham alongside a few other engagements. And royal experts haven't been shy about sharing their opinions on the trip so far, and what it could mean for the future.
From Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, no longer coming to London as planned due to the security arrangements (or lack thereof,) meaning the children won't be spending time with their grandfather King Charles, to Prince Harry's invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace reportedly being withdrawn at the last moment, the trip is turning into something of a "disaster" – to quote The Daily Beast's royal expert Tom Sykes on The Royalist podcast.
"What has happened today, it's a cataclysmic disaster," Sykes said, referring to the ruling, adding that the judgment has come at an "absolutely terrible time for Harry, just as it appears that King Charles has finally run out of patience with his errant son, denying him rooms at Buckingham Palace."
