Prince Harry and several other high-profile claimants have lost a lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
The trial, which began in London’s High Court in January, included accusations against the Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) company of obtaining information by deception, including phone hacking and corrupt payments.
A U.K. High Court judge dismissed all 97 claims, stating the group had “failed to prove their pleaded allegations” in a decision handed down Tuesday afternoon.
ANL denied all claims and maintained that the information had been brought forward too late.
The judge, Matthew Nicklin, acknowledged the allegations were serious, but stated the evidence was not sufficiently convincing in his summary of the case.
In a public statement following the verdict, Paul Dacre, ANL’s editor-in-chief, described the court’s decision as a “victory for Associated’s magnificent journalists” and free press itself.
The high-profile case included claims from several other celebrities including singer Elton John and his husband, member of the House of Lords Doreen Lawrence, former politician Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley.