Prince Harry was dealt a setback in his long-running legal campaign against Britain’s tabloids on Tuesday after a high court rejected a bid to draw Rupert Murdoch into allegations about how Mr. Murdoch’s London papers dug up personal details about him and later concealed or destroyed evidence of it.
Justice Timothy Fancourt ruled that lawyers for Harry and about 40 other plaintiffs could not amend their complaint against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, to include Mr. Murdoch, the 93-year-old media mogul who controls the company, as well as other senior News Group executives.
“There is a desire on the part of those running the litigation on the claimants’ side to shoot at ‘trophy’ targets, whether those are political issues or high-profile individuals,” Justice Fancourt declared in the 284-page ruling.
“This cannot become an end in itself.
That rules out allegations of actions targeted at his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, or his wife, Meghan.
Persons:
Prince Harry, Rupert Murdoch, Murdoch’s, Timothy Fancourt, Harry, Murdoch, Fancourt, ”, Harry’s, Diana, Princess of Wales, Meghan
Organizations:
News Group Newspapers, The, News Group
Locations:
Murdoch’s London