Prince Harry and Baroness Lawrence have issued a joint statement criticizing the High Court judge who ruled against them in a recent legal case, accusing him of bias and a "whitewash."
In the statement, the Duke of Sussex referenced the previous work of Mr. Justice Nicklin, who presided over the case involving the Daily Mail. Harry argued that the judge's findings, which dismissed all allegations made in the case, marked a significant departure from previous rulings in similar cases against other newspapers, where the judge had previously represented publications like the Daily Mirror.
"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," the statement read. It further contended that generic findings about private investigators' unlawful activities, previously accepted by the courts, were "wholly ignored" in this instance.
Harry described the ruling as an "obvious whitewash" and a "shocking" and "totally unwarranted" exoneration of the Daily Mail and its journalists. He questioned the court's decision to dismiss claims when, according to the statement, documents suggested otherwise, stating, "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."
The statement asserted that while claimants presented evidence, Mail journalists offered denials, which the court uncritically accepted. "We presented to the court evidence which we believed was compelling at the time and remains so now," the statement added.
The newspaper had defended its actions over 46 days against accusations of bugging and unlawful information gathering. In his judgment, Mr. Justice Nicklin stated that the claimants "failed to prove their pleaded allegations of UIG (unlawful information gathering)." He added that journalists provided "lawful explanations for the sourcing of the disputed articles and incidents," and the court accepted their evidence, including their denials of unlawful information gathering.
The ruling also dismissed allegations against senior executives at the newspaper concerning accusations of lying at the 2011 Leveson Inquiry into Press ethics.
Following the ruling, Prince Harry attended an Invictus Games event at Chatham House. He made a lighthearted comment about the venue having air conditioning before speaking about the importance of opportunity and redefining purpose for military service personnel, veterans, and those whose lives have been changed by service.