Prince Harry loses lawsuit over UK police protection: All his legal battles, explained
Prince Harry's "mission" to take on an intrusive media continues, with an ongoing series of lawsuits brought by himself and Duchess Meghan.
Over the past few years, the couple have filed more than a half-dozen lawsuits in both the U.S. and England against various media entities, who they accuse of not just invading their privacy but also of putting their lives at risk.
Harry has a particular grievance against the press, anchored in part to his contention that paparazzi were to blame for the 1997 death of his mother, Princess Diana, as she tried to flee photographers in Paris. On May 16, the duke and duchess said they experienced their own "near catastrophic car chase" in New York.
Harry has multiple lawsuits that are directly related to the safety and privacy of his family, which include the couple's two young children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
Two are against separate newspaper companies, Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers, accusing them of illegal information gathering; and two suits against Associated Newspapers Ltd. accused them of libel and illegal information gathering.
Here are more details about Prince Harry's present and past lawsuits.
Prince Harry loses lawsuit to overturn the withdrawal of police protection
What was it? In a lawsuit separate from his failed challenge to be able to pay for police protection, Prince Harry also filed suit to try and overturn the decision to eliminate state-funded protection given he and his wife are not part of the working-royal group.
The Duke of Sussex claimed he and his family were endangered when visiting the U.K. because of hostility toward him and his wife on social media and relentless hounding by news media.
Status: The case is closed.
On Feb. 28, a London judge ruled Harry was not improperly stripped of his publicly funded security detail during visits to Britain. Justice Peter Lane said in the High Court that the decision to provide security to Harry on a case-by-case basis was not unlawful, irrational or unjustified.
Prince Harry wins phone hacking lawsuit against Daily Mirror
What was it? Prince Harry sued Mirror Group Newspapers, owner of British tabloid Daily Mirror, in one of three similar suits filed by the Duke of Sussex against publishers accused of hacking the phones of celebrities. The lawsuit alleged that between 1996 and 2010 the Mirror hacked into phone voicemails in order to access private information.
Status: The case is closed. On Dec. 15, Prince Harry won the Daily Mirror lawsuit and was awarded over 140,000 pounds ($180,000).
On Feb. 9, Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, said the tabloid publisher also agreed to pay the prince's legal costs plus "substantial" damages, and would make an interim payment of 400,000 pounds ($505,000) within 14 days. The final tab will be assessed later.
In a statement read outside the High Court in London by his lawyer, Harry said he had been vindicated: "Our mission continues."
"We have uncovered and proved the shockingly dishonest way in which the Mirror acted for so many years, and then sought to conceal the truth," Harry said.
Justice Timothy Fancourt in the High Court found phone hacking was "widespread and habitual" at Mirror Group Newspapers over many years and private investigators “were an integral part of the system” to gather information unlawfully.
A similar lawsuit against The Sun is ongoing.
Context: British tabloid publisher admits to unlawfully gathering information about Prince Harry
Prince Harry is denied the right to pay for his own police protection in England
What was it? The suit attempted to win back Harry's right to pay for his own police protection while visiting England. Police protection is granted at no cost to working royals, but that privilege was rescinded when Harry and Meghan announced in 2020 that they were stepping away for their royal duties.
Status: The case is closed.
On May 23, a London judge ruled against Harry. The duke and duchess can still opt to pay for a private security detail, but cannot hire active police officers. This case is separate from another Harry has brought against the state, in which he is seeking to have his state security restored despite no longer being a working royal.
Prince William's settlement with Rupert Murdoch's media empire impacts Harry's cases
What is it? In April, court documents related to Harry's aforementioned phone hacking lawsuit brought to light that his brother, Prince William, allegedly received a payout in a 2020 settlement with News Group Newspapers, the British arm of the media empire owned by Austrian mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Status: This case is ongoing.
William's settlement is being used by Harry's lawyers in his lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, which is the publisher of The Sun and now-defunct News Of The World.
Prince Harry's legal team used that information to argue that Harry's lawsuit against the media companies should not be thrown out. Lawyers noted the payout agreement, which was said to have been authorized by the late Queen Elizabeth II, was aimed at preventing any future litigation from other royals.
Lawyers for the news organization deny there was a secret agreement, while Harry claims the arrangement was aimed at compensating members of the royal family without risking potential embarrassment on the witness stand.
Prince Harry drops lawsuit against Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday owner
What was it? In February 2022, Harry filed a suit in which he claimed that an article in the Mail on Sunday, sister paper to Daily Mail, both owned by Associated Newspapers Ltd., accused him of trying to mislead the public about a separate legal battle with the government over his police protection, which was stripped away when the couple announced they would no longer be working royals.
Status: Harry dropped the lawsuit against the publisher in January after he was unable to win the libel case before a trial and was ordered to pay tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees.
Harry's lawyers told the High Court in London at the time that his case against the publisher won't proceed, without providing a reason. Harry must pay the publisher's legal fees, which the Daily Mail reported to be 250,000 pounds, or about $316,000.
This came after a judge in December ordered the Duke of Sussex to pay the publisher almost 50,000 pounds, or more than $60,000, in legal fees. At the time, Justice Matthew Nicklin said that a libel trial would be scheduled for between May and July.
In July, a London judge ruled that the article in question was defamatory, which allowed Harry to take another step towards taking the libel claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd. to trial. Harry also sued the company for illegally obtaining private information.
More: Prince Harry sues tabloid for defamation after story on police security protection
Duchess Meghan wins case involving published extracts of private letter to her father
What was it? Duchess Meghan made an invasion of privacy claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd. after the Mail on Sunday published extracts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
Status: Duchess Meghan won her case.
In February 2021, Meghan won and received a symbolic 1 British pound, or around $1.24, for the victory, which her lawyers said was mostly about the principle of privacy. The publication was ordered by the court to publish a notice that it had lost the case. The publisher's appeal was rejected.
Settlement reached in case of aerial photos of Prince Archie
What was it? In July 2020, the couple filed a lawsuit against U.S. celebrity photo agency X17, alleging that photographers used drones and helicopters to take aerial photos of their son Archie, then 14 months old, as he played at their private residence in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California.
Status: The case was settled.
In October of that year, the couple reached a settlement with the agency, which apologized to the family and agreed to stop distributing the images in question.
Helicopter shots of the couple's English home spurs lawsuit, settlement
What was it? Harry sued Splash News and Picture Agency over aerial photographs taken of the home he shared with Meghan in the Cotswolds outside of London, after which the couple decided to move out of the house. Harry argued the photos, taken by helicopter, captured images of private rooms in their home, including the bedroom.
Status: The case was settled.
In May 2019, Harry received a financial settlement and an apology from Splash News and Picture Agency. Splash News had to also cover all legal costs of the suit as is customary in the British judicial system.
Contributing: Jill Lawless and Brian Melley, The Associated Press
Prince Harry drops libel lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Their various lawsuits explained
