A law firm that was central to Prince Harry's unsuccessful hacking lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, has reportedly enlisted insolvency experts. Thomson Heath Jenkins has allegedly summoned practitioners, and its office has closed, with one source describing the situation as a 'shock for staff.'
The firm was a lead legal representative in a high-profile case brought by the Duke of Sussex, alongside other prominent figures including broadcaster Baroness Doreen Lawrence, musician Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, model Liz Hurley, actress Sadie Frost, and former Liberal Democrat justice minister Sir Simon Hughes.
In July, the High Court dismissed all 97 allegations made by the claimants, who accused Mail journalists of criminal activity including phone hacking, landline tapping, and car tracking. The judge characterized the Mail's journalists as 'honest, truthful, straightforward, careful, impressive, convincing and credible.'
Following the comprehensive loss, Prince Harry and the co-claimants were presented with a legal bill potentially reaching £34.5 million. The High Court ruled that their case was 'inadequate' and 'unreasonable to a high degree.' In August, a judge granted a rare indemnity order, obliging the claimants to cover additional costs and noting that they knew the evidence was insufficient even before initiating the lawsuit.
Prince Harry, shown here in his most recent interview, comprehensively lost his hacking case against the publisher of the Daily Mail
After the July ruling, the Duke of Sussex issued a statement suggesting judicial bias and calling the judge's ruling a 'complete and obvious whitewash.' A deadline for lodging an appeal has since passed.
Thomson Heath Jenkins filed the claim in October 2022, and the allegations were maintained for over four years despite what the court deemed weak evidence. Mark Thomson, the solicitor who founded the firm in 2009 and owns all its shares, personally represented Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes. A total of seven lawyers from the firm worked on the case.
During the trial, Mr. Thomson testified that researchers working for his clients were possibly 'overexcited' when reporting that they had obtained critical information from a whistleblower. Thomson Heath Jenkins did not respond to requests for comment. The firm had recently advertised its ranking in the Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2027 for its 'strong privacy and reputation management department.'