The Duke of Sussex and six others have lost their High Court privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday
The group, which includes Sir Elton John and Baroness Lawrence, had sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over claims of unlawful information gathering
In his ruling, Mr Justice Nicklin says the allegations are serious and required more convincing evidence before being proven - but the claimants failed to prove allegations of unlawful information gathering
A months-long trial at the beginning of the year saw Prince Harry give emotional evidence over the articles he complained about - he said ANL had made his wife's life an "absolute misery"
The claimants accused the publisher of "grave breaches of privacy"; the company consistently denied the allegations, describing them as "preposterous" and said the claimants are "clutching at straws"
Meanwhile Prince Harry is in London today to attend an event for the Invictus Games
Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent
As we've been reporting, Prince Harry is in the UK today and arrived at an event for the Invictus Games shortly before today's judgment dropped.
We currently don't expect the duke to give a response on camera to the ruling - we've got an eye out for any other reaction.
The written judgment handed down by the High Court today is lengthy - at over 400 pages.
There are dozens of sections, that go through the evidence discussed during the trial in detail.
As part of this, it goes through the articles referenced by the claimants in the trial one by one, laying out the issues raised about them, the evidence given to the court, as well as the discussion and the court's conclusions about it.
Image source, Royal Courts of Justice
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, at Chatham House
Prince Harry has welcomed people to this Invictus Games event, it's clearly a cause that means very much to him.
He's sticking to the script of the speech and clearly wants to make this about supporting the work of those helping injured veterans.
But what a week it's been for him so far. While he talks, people are sharing his court defeat.
The result in his court case against Associated Newspapers has gone very much against him. There's no sign of a straw to clutch at.
And that follows a chaotic start to the week, when he was very publicly not allowed to stay in Buckingham Palace.
Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has welcomed the High Court's ruling as an "overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists" in a lengthy statement.
"This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism," a spokesperson says.
"The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated," they go on to say.
"As the judgment clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced."
They add: "We will look to resolve outstanding issues, including the recovery of the costs we have incurred while defending ourselves against this egregious litigation."
Tom Symonds
Correspondent
In a summary of his ruling, Mr Justice Nicklin concludes the allegations were serious and therefore required more convincing evidence before being proven.
He says the seven claimants could not rely on "suspicion, even where understandable". They had to prove information had been obtained unlawfully.
He refuses to make a finding as to whether what became known as unlawful information gathering had become “widespread and habitual” and instead decided the merits of each individual claim.
He says he accepted the denials of Associated Newspaper journalists "who gave lawful explanations for the sourcing of the disputed articles and incidents."
He rules that the claimants had also failed to prove three senior Associated executives former editors Paul Dacre, and Peter Wright, as well as the current senior lawyer at the company Elizabeth Hartley had lied in their evidence to the Leveson Inquiry where they said there was no unlawful activity at the Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Prince Harry and the six other claimants have failed to prove allegations of unlawful information gathering, today's judgment rules.
The court has rejected their attempt to prove the claims through "broad inference" in cases where there was a "legitimate and realistic" possibility lawful sources were used.
The full judgment runs to over 400 pages, and a summary of the document says: "The Court rejected the attempt to prove the claims by broad inference where there remained a legitimate and realistic possible lawful source pathway, or where the article-specific evidence did not prove that the relevant information must have been obtained unlawfully."
Their claims have been dismissed.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, at Chatham House
Prince Harry is in the room and cameras are trained on him as he heads for his seat.
But a large number of press in the room are also looking at their phones as the first results of the Associated Newspaper court case begin to land in email inboxes.
It's a split screen moment.
Tom Symonds
Correspondent
Prince Harry and six other defendants have lost their High Court privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
All of the claims have been dismissed after the claimants failed to prove the allegations.
A judgment has now been published in the civil case Prince Harry and six other claimants, including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Baroness Lawrence, brought against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
It's a written judgment, external - we're currently reading through it and will bring you the details shortly.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, at Chatham House
We're inside Chatham House, the international affairs think tank, where an audience is gathering to hear Prince Harry and others talk about his Invictus Games.
There are a few military uniforms dotted among the suits.
We've had an early glimpse of what Harry will say about the games for injured service men and women.
"Not simply a week of sport every few years, but a community united by one belief: that the unconquered human spirit exists in every nation and that our shared responsibility is to create the conditions in which it can flourish," he will say.
Image source, PA MediaAssociated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Its barrister, Antony White KC, told the court the articles were generally the continuation of ongoing, widespread reporting.
ANL has admitted commissioning private investigators while Mail journalists gave evidence that they believed private investigators (PIs) had access to legitimate databases allowing them to get public information more quickly.
Katie Nicholl, the former Mail on Sunday royal editor, and Rebecca English, the Daily Mail's current royal editor, were repeatedly asked specifically where information about Prince Harry had come from.
They said they, or their sources, were on the fringes of his social circle.
Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre told the court he "brought the shutters down" on any unlawful newsgathering at the paper when he found out about it while he accepted there may be evidence private investigators working on behalf of the paper may have used unlawful techniques.
He said he "utterly refutes" allegations of unlawful newsgathering by journalists and told the court that he stopped the use of PIs.
Image source, Getty ImagesDoreen Lawrence arrives to court
In this and the next post, we will talk you through some of the arguments we heard in court during the trial at the start of the year. Firstly, the claimants.
There are seven claimants in this case jointly suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over claims it misused their private information.
At times, the evidence they gave was emotional.
ANL denies all the allegations.
Tom Symonds
News correspondent
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockIn previous legal battles with the press, Prince Harry won 15 claims in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers and separately received "substantial" damages and an apology in a settlement with the publisher of the Sun.
The case against ANL was potentially his last major court challenge to a newspaper publisher, but his most difficult.
ANL has always maintained it wasn't involved in unlawful information gathering.
The publisher said it used what it calls "inquiry agents" until 2007 to get publicly listed addresses and phone numbers.
This "all or nothing" defence, plus an aggressive public response to Prince Harry's claims, mean this is a high-stakes case for both the prince and the publisher.
If he loses badly, an already critical Daily Mail could well hit back at him in its coverage of this trial and other aspects of his life.
But he has always showed a determination for these battles, borne partly of an ongoing concern for his privacy, and a feeling that the Royal Family was wrong to advise him when younger not to take legal action.
Prince Harry is this afternoon attending an event in London for the Invictus Games - his charity for injured military veterans.
He was pictured arriving at Chatham House a few moments ago.
Image source, Reuters
Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from the Royal Courts of Justice
I’m outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
We're expecting the written judgment to be handed down remotely at 14:00 BST.
There won’t be a hearing in court.
We should get a press summary along with the full ruling - that will allow us to bring you the main findings quickly.
When the judgment is handed down Prince Harry won't be far from court - about two miles - for an event related to the Invictus Games.
Whichever way the judgment goes I'd expect Harry to give his reaction at some stage.
Publisher ANL has been accused in this case of "grave breaches of privacy" by the seven claimants.
The organisation has repeatedly denied the allegations - which it calls "lurid" and "preposterous" - and has strenuously defended its journalists.
It was unsuccessful in its attempt to get the case thrown out in 2023, where it had argued the claims had been brought "far too late".
Lawyers for the claimants successfully argued that new evidence had come to light, and they did not know how information was being covertly acquired at the time.
Image source, Getty ImagesLiz Hurley arrives with her son Damian Hurley during the trial
Today's judgment will come online, and we have reporters poised to go through the paperwork when it lands - which could be lengthy.
Judge Mr Justice Nicklin will set out whether the claims against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) have been found proven in a decision that follows a months-long trial at the beginning of the year.
The seven claimants are Prince Harry, Elton John and husband David Furnish, actresses Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost (referred to as Sadie Frost Law in court documents), campaigner Doreen Lawrence, and former MP Simon Hughes.
The 10-week trial was held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London where the claimants accused ANL of unlawful information gathering and "grave breaches of privacy".
Articles published years ago were used as examples as the claimants' lawyer David Sherborne sought to demonstrate "systematic unlawful information gathering".
ANL has repeatedly denied the allegations, which it calls "lurid" and "preposterous".
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
Prince Harry’s court battles with the UK press have always seemed like a deeply personal issue for him.
The sense of unfair intrusion from press coverage was seen by him as disrupting his private life and relationships.
It seemed like a raw wound and he was clearly upset at the end of his testimony in the High Court for this case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
The sense of anger at excessive press intrusion was also connected in Harry’s life to the pursuit of his mother, Princess Diana.
But it could be the end of an era if this case against ANL proves to be his last big court case against the press.
Noor Nanji
Royal correspondent, at Chatham House
I'm at Chatham House in central London, where the media has gathered to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry.
He's expected here today at an event related to the Invictus Games - which he founded.
That’s what he’d like to be talking about - but speculation over his row with the Royal Family, as well as the imminent judgment in his High Court case against the Daily Mail’s publishers, are threatening to overshadow everything…
Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent
Image source, EPAPrince Harry was back in the UK yesterday, his spokesman confirmed, for a planned five-day trip supporting a number of his charities.
We know he’s staying on private premises - instead of Buckingham Palace - contrary to what his team had initially announced.
Royal sources said he had not responded in time to their offer of palace accommodation so could no longer stay there.
On other recent visits, the duke has checked into hotels in London or just outside in Berkshire – and he’s also stayed with friends.
We’ll see him later today at a conference relating to the Invictus Games at Chatham House in Central London.
It’s not yet known whether Prince Harry will meet the King on this trip or whether the Duchess of Sussex and their children will join him when he goes up to the Midlands on Thursday.
