Prince Harry has made an uncommon trip to the UK, bringing considerable controversy with his arrival.
The prince has been residing at an undisclosed address after Buckingham Palace confirmed he is not lodging at the royal residence, as he undertakes multiple public engagements throughout the UK this week.
On Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex was unsuccessful in his High Court privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
He, alongside several high-profile individuals, including Elizabeth Hurley, pursued legal action against Associated Newspapers.
They claimed unlawful tactics had been employed to collect information for articles, accusations consistently rejected by Associated Newspapers.
The former butler thinks William will be ‘furious’ (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Justice Nicklin informed the group that the allegations were so grave they needed to demonstrate the information had been acquired unlawfully and that they required more persuasive evidence.
Mr Justice Nicklin said: “I accept that he found the article intrusive and was genuinely concerned by how journalists appeared to know private information concerning his relationships. But suspicion, even understandable suspicion, is not proof.”
Prince Harry, together with the other parties in the lawsuit, released a statement after the decision. It said: “”.
The former royal butler doesn’t think the palace will be happy (Image: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
In a joint statement with Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the Duke of Sussex said: “It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected.”
The pair said: “We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither.
“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.
“Generic findings about various private investigators that were held by the courts in these parallel claims to have carried out unlawful activity at the very same time in relation to similar stories and well-known individuals have been wholly ignored.
“The fact that this court has chosen to dismiss them represents an inconsistency which is hard to understand or reconcile with common sense, or the evidence heard in the courtroom itself.
“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.
“When the court says there is not sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, despite the documents showing otherwise, then one does wonder how justice was ever going to be achieved.
“One need not look past when a private investigator the Mail used actually admitted on tape to having unlawfully blagged Baroness Lawrence, or when a journalist recorded the name of the private investigators she used to find out about highly sensitive medical information, that even the Mail was too worried to publish, or when another private investigator emailed one of the journalists with the actual British Airways seat number and ticketing details for a young girl simply visiting her boyfriend, in return for payment.”
Since stepping back from his royal responsibilities, the Duke of Sussex has been outspoken regarding his views on the royal family, most notably through a televised Oprah Winfrey interview and his personal Netflix docuseries.
For many observers, this public airing of private family matters has fundamentally eroded trust. The burning question on everyone’s mind is whether the Prince will meet with his father, King Charles, and royal commentator Hilary Fordwich appears to have shed some light on the matter.
Numerous royal commentators have weighed in on the situation, with many suggesting Prince Harry owes the wider royal family an apology. Fordwich maintained that any encounter between Harry and the King would be carefully orchestrated to safeguard the monarchy’s reputation.
Speaking to OLBG, former royal butler Grant Harrold has offered his perspective on what recent developments could mean for Harry’s relationship with his family going forward. Discussing the potential lasting consequences, the butler stated: “Prince Harry has basically aired his dirty laundry in public – again. This has turned it from a private issue into a public one.
“This will have a bigger impact than just a bit of upset for this visit. The Palace will not be happy at all. It’s going to make things even more difficult for Harry in the longer term. And I think this could be irreversible.”
He continued, noting that his actions demonstrate to the royals and their advisors that “Harry still isn’t willing to play by the rules”. Harrold elaborated: “He’s still happy to put out statements criticising them. I think William will be furious, it’s just more drama that I believe he just wants to leave in the past.”
However, Harry appears unwilling to move forward as he once again places himself in the spotlight, travelling back to his native country and delivering remarks at the Invictus Games. The speech occurred mere moments after news emerged of his legal setback on July 7.
He was defeated in his unlawful information-gathering lawsuit against the Daily Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), in litigation he had pursued for years. Reports indicate that all 14 of Prince Harry’s claims regarding multiple articles published about him were rejected.
The ruling has since saddled Harry with a considerable financial obligation, shared among the other claimants in the case, which include Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish, actor Elizabeth Hurley, and former Liberal Democrat minister Sir Simon Hughes.
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