London, July 7, 2026

Prince Harry, musician Elton John, and five other public figures on Tuesday lost their class-action lawsuit against the publisher Associated Newspapers Limited at the London High Court.

Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the tabloid newspapers "Daily Mail" and "The Mail on Sunday," had rejected the allegations from the outset. Now the court has ruled in favor of the defendants: In a 436-page written judgment, the judge concluded that the plaintiffs had failed to sufficiently substantiate their accusations of illegal information gathering. The lawsuit was therefore dismissed.

In addition to Prince Harry and Elton John, the group of plaintiffs also included his husband David Furnish as well as other prominent figures. They had accused the publisher of intercepting phone calls and voicemail messages for years and obtaining intimate documents such as medical records through private investigators in order to generate headlines.

The Allegations in Detail

In his testimony in February, Elton John described the publisher's practices as "abscheulich und jenseits jeglicher Standards menschlichen Anstandes." Prince Harry, for his part, said from the witness stand that he had been further persecuted for standing up for his wife: "Indem ich hier aufstehe und Stellung gegen sie beziehe, hat man mich weiter verfolgt."

In his written statement, the 41-year-old Prince Harry had cited the coverage of his wife Meghan — perceived as malicious and partly racist — as the trigger for the lawsuit. In court, he said in a halting voice: "Sie haben das Leben meiner Frau vollkommen zur Hölle gemacht, Euer Ehren." In a later addendum, he emphasized: "Und sie haben das Leben meiner Frau zu einem absoluten Elend gemacht."

Personal Statements in Court

The trial lasted eleven weeks and took place between January and March. Prince Harry had traveled to London specifically in January 2026 to testify in person. His wife Meghan and their shared children Archie and Lilibet remained in California in the meantime — according to sources close to the family, also because of the ongoing debate over the security situation.

After the verdict, Prince Harry appeared visibly moved and declared that pursuing the legal dispute had made the situation worse: "Durch die Verfolgung dieses Rechtsstreits ist es nur noch schlimmer geworden, nicht besser." He added: "Es ist fundamental falsch, uns alle das noch einmal durchmachen zu lassen. Was nötig ist, sind eine Entschuldigung und Rechenschaftspflicht. Es ist eine schreckliche Erfahrung."

Implications and Background

For the youngest son of King Charles, this was already the third lawsuit of this kind against the British tabloid press. In addition to this case, he had previously also lost in the legal dispute over his security arrangements. Since his departure from the inner royal circle in 2020, Harry, Meghan, and their children no longer have an automatic right to police protection in Great Britain.

Prince Harry's lawyers had previously demanded substantial damages. With the defeat at the High Court, the plaintiffs receive neither compensation nor a formal apology from the publisher.

The verdict came just at a time when Harry is in Great Britain anyway — according to sources close to him, because of charity events and preparations for the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.