Prince Harry has applied for permission to appeal the High Court ruling that dismissed his privacy case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Reuters reported the new filing on Friday, November 6, after a lawyer for the claimants said they considered the court’s decisions legally and factually flawed.
This is an important procedural step, but it is not an appeal victory. The court must first decide whether the challenge can proceed, and no decision or hearing date had been announced when this report was published.
Featured illustration: AI-assisted Royally Inspired editorial artwork. It is a conceptual image, not a photograph of Prince Harry or a court hearing.
What is new
- Harry and the other claimants have applied for permission to appeal.
- The application seeks to challenge the July ruling that dismissed their privacy claims.
- Permission has not been reported as granted, and the underlying case remains dismissed.
What the original case alleged
Harry was one of seven claimants who accused Associated Newspapers of unlawful information gathering over many years. The group also included Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost and former politician Sir Simon Hughes.
Associated Newspapers denied the allegations. Following an 11-week trial, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims on July 7, finding that the claimants had not proved the alleged unlawful activity and that lawful routes remained realistic explanations for the published information.
The ruling did not say that every concern about press conduct was impossible. It decided that the evidence presented in these particular claims did not meet the legal standard required to establish liability.
The case timeline
| July 7 | The High Court dismisses all seven claimants’ cases. |
| August 21 | The court orders an interim £9.54 million payment toward Associated Newspapers’ legal costs and applies the more demanding indemnity basis to much of the costs assessment. |
| November 6 | Reuters reports that Harry and the other claimants have applied for permission to appeal. |
Why the costs ruling matters
In August, the court ordered the claimants to make an interim payment of £9.54 million toward Associated Newspapers’ costs. The publisher said its overall legal bill was approximately £34.5 million, although the final recoverable amount had not been settled.
That interim sum applies to the claimant group, not to Harry alone. The judge also ruled that much of the costs should be assessed on an indemnity basis after criticizing the way the litigation had been conducted. The August decision did not find that any claimant had been dishonest.
What happens next
The immediate question is whether permission to appeal will be granted. If permission is refused, the July dismissal remains in place. If permission is granted, the appellate court would consider the legal grounds accepted for review, rather than automatically retrying every allegation.
The claimants’ lawyer told Reuters that they “respectfully disagree” with decisions they regard as “legally and factually flawed.” Associated Newspapers had previously described the July judgment as a vindication of its journalism. RI will update this report if the court issues a decision on permission or publishes an appeal timetable.
Continue exploring
Visit our Prince Harry profile for his background, military service and place in the Royal Family.
Sources
- Reuters: Prince Harry applies for permission to appeal, November 6, 2026
- Courts and Tribunals Judiciary: July 7 High Court judgment
- Courts and Tribunals Judiciary: August 21 costs judgment
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