LONDON – Prince Harry and singer Elton John have lost their High Court case against the publisher of the Daily Mail over alleged unlawful information gathering.

London’s High Court on Tuesday dismissed the claims, ruling that the “claimants failed to prove their pleaded allegations” against Associated Newspapers following an 11-week trial earlier this year.

The case saw several high-profile figures, including John and actor Elizabeth Hurley, accuse the tabloid publisher of invading their privacy. The forty-one-year-old Harry gave testimony during the proceedings over articles dating from 1993 to 2018. Lawyers for the claimants had sought “substantial” damages.

This was the third and final case brought by the Duke of Sussex in his legal battle with British tabloids, which has further strained relations with the royal family.

Security dispute overshadows visit

The court ruling comes as Harry arrived in Britain on Monday for a five-day visit to mark the one-year countdown to next year’s Invictus Games for wounded veterans, which he founded.

The youngest son of King Charles III is visiting without his wife Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet after the family was refused police protection.

The trip was meant to be Harry’s first family visit to the UK in four years. A source close to the duke said the family would not accompany him on the London leg of the trip after being refused security. Arrangements for the rest of the visit were still under consideration.

Accommodation confusion

Contradictory statements about plans to stay at Buckingham Palace added to the complications surrounding the visit.

Buckingham Palace said Harry would not be staying at the palace after missing a deadline to accept the accommodation offer. However, Harry’s spokesman said it was “disappointing” the offer to be hosted by his father had been “withdrawn at the last moment”.

The palace believed the legal judgment complicated matters as it could compromise the king’s constitutional position, the PA news agency reported.

It remains unclear whether Harry will meet his father during the trip. He is last understood to have met Charles, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, at Clarence House in September 2025.

Ongoing family tensions

Harry and Meghan left Britain for North America in 2020 following a feud with his family, which intensified after Harry published his memoir “Spare”. The prince has since said he wishes to reconcile with his father, but the confusion over accommodation suggests relations remain difficult.

According to his spokesperson, Harry had to make “alternative security arrangements” for the trip after publicly funded protection was refused, contributing to the delay in accepting Buckingham Palace’s accommodation offer.

Last year, Harry said he felt unable to bring his family to Britain after losing a court case to have his security restored during visits home.

Harry has long blamed the media for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.

Simon Morgan, a former bodyguard for the royal family, said: “He understands how that protection can fail and how catastrophic, therefore, those results can be.”

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