Prince Harry has officially released a joint statement, losing a major lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited after years of fighting. Harry, a member of the British royal family, called the judgment an obvious and complete whitewash.
Prince Harry argued that the legal setback does not change his belief that the British press must be held accountable
The Duke of Sussex filed a lawsuit with six other claimants, including Sadie Frost, Elton John, and Elizabeth Hurley, against Associated Newspapers Limited, which is the publisher of the Daily Mail. The case was filed in October 2022, alleging that ANL unlawfully sourced information to publish articles on all of them.
According to PEOPLE, after years of fighting, Mr. Justice Nicklin made a judgment in favor of the newspaper, as the litigants failed to prove their claim.
Soon after the judgment, Prince Harry issued a joint statement with Baroness Lawrence, who was one of the litigants. “We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither,” Harry and Baroness Lawrence said.
“This judgment represents a complete reversal of the position which previous Judges have taken in relation to the hacking claims successfully brought against both News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers (who were represented by, at the time, the Judge who made this decision),” they added.
Further, they called it unwarranted, saying, “It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected. However, the lengths to which the Court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted.” They said they were disappointed by the decision, but their view that the British press should be held accountable will not change, as per PEOPLE.
The judgment came during Prince Harry’s UK visit for the Invictus Games. While the court dismissed the claims, Harry maintained his belief in British press accountability in his statement.
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