Here’s how it all went wrong in Harry’s ‘creepy’ hacking case. No wonder he’s furious

July 8, 2026 — 11:54am

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London: There was no hiding the anger from Prince Harry in his direct attack on a High Court judge for dismissing his claims about unlawful conduct by one of Britain’s biggest publishers.

The Duke of Sussex did not merely disagree with Justice Matthew Nicklin after the court found in favour of the Daily Mail on the civil claim that it used phone hacking and other unlawful means to report on the royals. He went personal.

Harry pointed out that Nicklin was the barrister who had acted for another publisher, the Daily Mirror, in a similar court case just over a decade ago.

This is true. Nicklin was the QC who stood in court in 2015 on behalf of his client, the Daily Mirror, to apologise for phone hacking and promise “full, fair and proper” compensation to victims, including Harry.

When that case was settled, Mirror Group Newspapers paid all of Harry’s legal costs as well as £300,000 ($577,000) in damages. A separate settlement came later when Harry claimed victory against News Corp.

Murdoch’s British tabloids offer rare apology in legal settlement with Prince Harry

But the personal attack on Nicklin is a sign of the prince’s fury over the outcome in his third and final big case against the media. It is not a reliable guide to the proven facts of the case.

Harry is obviously passionate about holding the media to account for its excesses in its coverage of him as a member of the royal family, even if that means taking the kind of legal action King Charles and Prince William always avoid.

Some of the British media rejoiced in Harry’s defeat. He is not a popular member of the royal family: only 30 per cent of British voters have a favourable view of him, compared to 76 per cent for William. His marriage to........

© The Sydney Morning Herald