Harry and fellow claimants seek appeal permission in Daily Mail privacy dispute

Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence, Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost sought permission to appeal after losing their case against Associated Newspapers, according to the Guardian’s 6 November 2026 report. Court staff confirmed the filing. The group challenged both the dismissal of their claims and an indemnity costs order, arguing that the decisions contained legal and factual errors.

Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims in July after an 11-week trial, finding that unlawful sourcing had not been established. The claimants alleged interception and obtaining information through deception; the publisher maintained its journalists used legitimate sources. The Guardian reported potential legal costs exceeding £50m. In August, Nicklin ordered an initial payment of about £9.54m towards the publisher’s costs.

The dispute centred on how alleged privacy breaches could be proved when legitimate sourcing explanations remained available. Nicklin’s judgment said unlawful gathering could not be inferred where a realistic lawful route existed. The applications sought permission to challenge that outcome; the report did not establish that an appeal had been authorised.