Prince Harry & Elton John’s Lawsuit Against ‘The Daily Mail’ Will Proceed

On Friday, a British judge ruled that a lawsuit filed by Prince Harry and five other public figures against a newspaper publisher should go to a full trial.

Joined by Elton John, John’s husband David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, Prince Harry alleged that Associated Newspapers Ltd. (publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline) unlawfully gathered information through bugs placed in their homes and cars, recorded phone conversations and obtained medical records through deceitful means. 

Prince Harry alleged that the publisher deliberately targeted him and his inner circle when they hacked voicemails, tapped landlines and obtained detailed phone bills and flight information related to his then-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.

Associated Newspapers vehemently denied these accusations and requested the judge to dismiss the case. 

At the hearings in March, the Associated Newspapers’ lawyers argued that the claims – some of which dated back to 1993 – were filed too late and that the claimants were reliant on confidential evidence that was disclosed during a public inquiry in 2012, which investigated tabloid misconduct sparked by the now-defunct News of the World’s revelations of phone hacking.

Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled that claimants can’t rely on the documents handed over to the inquiry, which were ordered confidential by its head, Brian Leveson. The judge said the case could proceed because the claims “have a real prospect of succeeding.”

In June, Prince Harry became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court in over a century when he gave evidence in a different lawsuit that concerned phone hacking and involved the publishers of the Daily Mirror. The verdict of that case is still pending.

Prince Harry has also teamed up with actor Hugh Grant to sue the publisher of The Sun newspaper. The trial for this case is slated to commence early next year.