The Duke of Sussex issued a blistering statement alongside co-claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence, condemning the court's decision to dismiss their privacy invasion claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Prince Harry has reacted with fury after a High Court judge threw out his privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail. The Duke of Sussex, who was in London for Invictus Games engagements when the verdict was handed down, joined fellow claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence in releasing a scathing statement that accused the court of a "complete and obvious whitewash."

The judge, Mr. Justice Nicklin, dismissed all claims brought by Harry and six other high-profile individuals, including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley. In a 436-page ruling, the court found that the claimants failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that the articles in question were obtained through unlawful information gathering, such as phone hacking or the use of private investigators .

The Duke and Baroness Lawrence argued that the ruling represented an "inconsistency" with previous judgments in similar cases involving other newspaper groups. "Generic findings about various private investigators that were held by the Courts in these parallel claims to have carried out unlawful activity at the very same time... have been wholly ignored," their statement read. They added that the court's decision made them wonder how justice could ever be achieved, stating it appeared there was "one rule for the newspapers and another for the claimants" .

In stark contrast, the newspaper publisher hailed the outcome as a "magnificent vindication" of its journalism. ANL stated that the decision proved that every single article at the center of the dispute was "legitimately sourced" . Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre testified during the trial, which lasted over 10 weeks and reportedly cost more than £50 million in legal fees. Dacre had described the accusations against the newspaper's staff as deeply upsetting .

The verdict marks a significant legal setback for the Duke of Sussex, who has previously won lawsuits against other tabloid publishers regarding phone hacking. The court found that Harry and his legal team relied too heavily on "broad inference" rather than concrete evidence to suggest that the Daily Mail's journalists had acted unlawfully . This defeat leaves the claimants potentially facing substantial legal bills. The ruling arrived during a five-day visit by Harry to the U.K. for charity work, a trip that has been heavily overshadowed by ongoing tensions with his family and security disputes .