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The British royal family can be a litigious bunch, but perhaps no member is more so than the Duke of Sussex.
Prince Harry’s tempestuous history with the media is well documented at this point. His memoir offered insight into his deep resentment of the tabloid press and it’s no secret he holds them complicit in his mother’s premature death.
The 39-year-old royal has taken it upon himself to fight for a more “responsible media,” as he once put it, and is currently engaged in a number of legal battles in the United Kingdom.
Here’s a rundown of his ongoing civil litigation against media outlets:
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Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). |
The most recent case making headlines, this challenge is a joint endeavor with several profile individuals, including Elton John and his husband David Furnish.
Campaigner Doreen Lawrence, actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, actress Sadie Frost and former politician Simon Hughes make up the rest of the claimants. The group brought the case in October 2022 and alleged that ANL, which publishes the titles including the Daily Mail and MailOnline, engaged in various types of criminal activity to obtain information about individuals in the group. ANL has denied any wrongdoing.
The group accused ANL of hiring private investigators to plant listening devices in homes and cars and record private calls. The publisher has also denied allegations that it would pay corrupt police officials for inside information, engage in impersonation and deception to obtain medical records, and would hack into bank accounts and financial transactions by “illicit means and manipulation.”
Britain’s High Court ruled this month that the case over alleged unlawful information gathering could proceed despite ANL’s attempts to have it dismissed without trial on the basis that it was brought too late. Justice Nicklin said ANL failed to deliver a “knockout blow” to any of the claims brought by the claimants.
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Second Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) lawsuit. |
Prince Harry is also suing ANL for libel over a February 2022 Mail on Sunday story about separate legal proceedings against the UK Home Office over his family’s security detail.
The article was published with the headline: “Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then - just minutes after the story broke - his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.”
ANL has firmly denied the claim, with lawyers for the publisher arguing the report was an “honest opinion” that did not cause “serious harm” to his reputation.
Harry’s legal team are seeking a ruling in their client’s favor without a trial. A decision from Justice Nicklin is expected soon.
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Victoria Jones/PA Images/Getty Images |
News Group Newspapers (NGN). |
This is another of the duke’s cases that has seen some movement in recent months. In 2019, Prince Harry sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering.
The lawsuit includes claims that NGN – the UK publisher of The Sun and now-defunct News of The World newspaper – illegally intercepted voicemail messages, obtained private information by deception and used private investigators to illegally gain information.
NGN argued for the case to be thrown out and said that Harry should have brought his lawsuit sooner, but the prince said he wasn’t able to due to a “secret agreement” between NGN and Buckingham Palace.
In July, the High Court ruled that the royal could not sue for alleged phone-hacking or use his argument of a confidential deal but allowed other claims to continue. The trial is expected to get underway in early 2025.
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Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) |
Harry began a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) at the same time he launched his action against NGN in 2019.
The trial started in May and offered the rare sight of a senior royal sitting in a courtroom's witness box. Prince Harry and three other claimants representing dozens of celebrities are suing the major British newspaper publisher, accusing its titles of phone-hacking and using other illicit means to gather information between 1991 and 2011.
MGN has contested most of the allegations, arguing in its court filings that some claims have been brought too late and that in all four cases there is insufficient evidence of phone-hacking.
A decision on that case is expected in the months ahead.
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Princess Anne’s brief Gibraltar visit. |
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images |
The Princess Royal popped up in Gibraltar last Friday for a speedy visit where she attended the country’s international literary festival, of which she is royal patron. On Friday evening, she was guest of honor, delivering an opening speech on the importance of literature. The visit’s start was initially hampered by heavy fog, which caused the flight the royal was traveling on to be diverted to Malaga, according to local newspaper the Gibraltar Chronicle. Despite only being there until Saturday, Anne also visited Bassadone Automotive Group, one of Europe’s largest independent automotive companies, and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Association.
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images |
It’s now been confirmed that the Princess of Wales’ carol concert will return for its third year in December. Catherine will be back at Westminster Abbey for her special festive service on December 8. This time round, she’s hosting it to celebrate “all those who work to support babies, young children and families in our communities across the UK and a celebration of the golden opportunity that the birth of a new baby brings,” Kensington Palace said.
Kate established the event in 2021 through her royal foundation with the idea to bring people together during the holidays and recognize those who have “gone above and beyond” during the year. She takes a more modern approach combining old and new elements to make the event more inclusive to people of all faiths or none. Adam Lambert, Beverley Knight and James Bay are among the musical artists set to perform at the event, which will be broadcast on UK channel ITV on Christmas Eve. In addition to the event in London, 12 other community carol services will take place across the UK.
It hasn’t been announced whether any other royal family members will be in attendance. However, it seems likely a few will turn up to support the princess. Last year, the King and Queen were among the congregation, as was the princess’ husband, William, and their two elder children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
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Aaron Chown/PA Images/Getty Images |
King Charles III welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to London on Tuesday to celebrate 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the UK. Yoon’s arrival marked the second State Visit Charles has hosted, after he received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last year. Accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, Charles met Yoon and South Korea’s First Lady on Horse Guards Parade in London on the first day of their visit, before taking a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace. At a state banquet held at the palace in the evening, Charles praised Korea’s imprint on the British cultural landscape, saying it has “matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with ‘Squid Game,’ and the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ with BTS’s ‘Dynamite.’” On Wednesday, the King presented MBEs to K-Pop band Blackpink for their work as ambassadors for the COP26 Summit held in Glasgow in 2021.
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Jonathan Brady/Getty Images |
The Queen made the keynote address at the annual Foreign Press Association (FPA) Awards in London on Monday, where she was made an honorary member – following in the footsteps of her husband, who spoke at the ceremony in 2008. She said the importance of foreign correspondents had been underscored by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, where journalists “are even now risking their lives.” The FPA – the oldest and largest association of foreign correspondents in the world – was founded in 1888, when journalists flocked to London to cover the bloody murders of Jack the Ripper. Camilla, who has long campaigned against domestic and sexual abuse, stressed in her speech that the FPA “grew out of the need to reveal and condemn violence against women” – a need she said remains “a key part of journalism today.” The Queen praised the bravery of journalists like Martha Gelhorn, Christiane Amanpour and Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose “courage was matched only by their conviction that the truth matters.”
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“Tonight is all about helping to support, champion and empower all children to be the very best they can be, which is crucial for their future health and happiness.”
– Princess of Wales
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Kate made a surprise appearance to help open the BBC Children in Need charity broadcast last Friday. The annual televised appeal crowdfunds to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people and children around the UK. Over the last several months, the mom of three has been working on her “Shaping Us” public awareness campaign to highlight the value of an individual’s formative years. Her hope is to move the topic of early years beyond the scientific research community and make it part of the national conversation. Watch the special message here.
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