Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The total costs of the legal battle is estimated to be up to 67 million USD.
The battle between the rich and famous and the paparazzi has raged for decades.
For years, high-profile figures have fought back against aggressive reporting tactics in an effort to regain control over their private lives.
But taking on powerful media groups in court is a massive, risky gamble. Sometimes it fails.
A costly defeat
Prince Harry and a group of prominent British celebrities have just suffered a stinging legal blow. On Tuesday, London’s High Court dismissed their privacy lawsuits against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
The decision ends a bitter, multi-million-dollar fight.
The star-studded group accused the media giant of using illicit methods to dig up gossip between the 1990s and 2011. They alleged that private investigators used phone hacking, wiretapping, and deception. Other big names involved in the lawsuit included music icon Elton John, his husband David Furnish, and actress Liz Hurley.
According to the Reuters, the legal battle was incredibly expensive, with total costs estimated at between £40 million and £50 million (53 million and 67 million USD).
But Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the stars failed to present enough concrete evidence in court and that suspicion alone would not be sufficient, the BBC reported.
Deeply unhappy stars
The ruling marks a stinging loss for the prince, who has successfully won previous legal battles against other British tabloids.
Reuters reported that media lawyer Mark Stephens noted a shift in the landscape, stating, “His campaign against the other newspaper groups has largely been successful, but I think it’s time to reappraise what the media today is, and it’s very different to the media of (the time of) Princess Diana.”
Unsurprisingly, the royal did not take the decision lightly. In a joint statement with fellow claimant Doreen Lawrence, Harry called the court judgment “a complete and obvious whitewash”.
The pair added, “We presented to the court evidence which we believed was compelling at the time and remains so now.”
An “overwhelming victory”
Meanwhile, the publishers celebrated the outcome as a massive win for investigative reporting. The media group called the High Court decision an “overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists and for a free press generally”.
According to a company spokesman, the newspaper feels vindicated and will now seek to recover its enormous legal fees from the plaintiffs.
The Daily Mail’s long-serving former editor, Paul Dacre, also took a swipe at the royal. In a statement, Dacre said, “I feel sorry for the way a confused and angry young man has been drawn into this case.”
