Prince Harry lost his lawsuit against the Daily Mail’s UK publisher after suing the company for unlawfully obtaining information.
A UK High Court judge ruled against the Duke of Sussex’s favor in his case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Tuesday.
His and the six other defendants’ claims were dismissed, on the heels of Harry arriving back overseas.
Hours before the decision was made, he attending Monday evening’s “Shoot the People” documentary premiere in London.
The ruling, notably, concludes Harry’s years-long legal battle with the British press, which previously led to him and wife Meghan Markle receiving settlements from Mail on Sunday and The Sun.
Harry, along with Elizabeth Hurley, Elton John and Sadie Frost, accused ANL in 2022 of using listening devices placed in cars and homes, as well as hiring private detectives, to illegally obtain information about them from the 1990s to 2011.
Additionally, the “Spare” author, 41, claimed ANL targeted him and his close circle by tapping landlines, voicemails, flight information and phone bills.
ANL, the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, previously denied the allegations and claimed their information was legitimately sourced.
The 10-week trial kicked off in January at London’s High Court.
At the time, Harry testified, emotionally describing Markle’s time as a royal as “absolute misery.”
“It’s fundamentally wrong to put us through this again when all we wanted was an apology and accountability,” he said. “It’s a horrible experience. “They continue to come after me.”
Harry also referred to the case as a “repeat of the past” and a “recurring traumatic experience.”
“I have never believed that my life is open season to be commercialized by these people,” he continued.
During his testimony, Harry also spoke about his previous romance with Chelsy Davy from 2004 to 2010, alleging that the publication received private information about their relationship by hacking voicemails and other communications between himself and his friends.
“The quote is being attributed to three strangers,” he said about articles that have cited “sources” for their information. “You are now trying to suggest that these three strangers are some of my closest friends. That does not add up.
“These three people have never shared anything with anybody,” he continued. “If they had, there would be a lot more out there.”
Harry and Markle, 44, tied the knot in 2018 and have been at the center of increased media scrutiny since stepping down from their royal roles in 2020.
The former military pilot is back in the UK to promote the Invictus Games ahead of Birmingham hosting the event next year.
He and Markle were supposed to bring Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, across the pond — but Harry’s family members stayed at home in Montecito, California, after being rejected from taxpayer-funded security.
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