Harry's privacy battle against Daily Mail ends in setback
In a High Court ruling, Judge Nicklin found that Associated Newspapers failed to prove unlawful information gathering by the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, vindicating the publisher and potentially closing a 20-year chapter of the phone-hacking saga. The decision required conclusive proof that each story was unlawfully obtained rather than generic evidence of misconduct, and some witness statements were deemed unreliable. Prince Harry testified and Baroness Doreen Lawrence joined the action, but the ruling leaves open whether an appeal will be filed, and marks a significant setback for the plaintiffs while hinting that the era of large-scale civil actions over hacking may be winding down.