Burglary allegation against Mail publisher thrown out before Harry claim trial

An allegation that the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper commissioned “burglary to order” cannot go to an upcoming UK trial into claims brought by a group including Britain’s Duke of Sussex, a High Court judge has said.

Harry is one of a group of seven high-profile individuals bringing legal action against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

The group, also including Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Liz Hurley, have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records and accessing private phone conversations.

ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as “lurid” and “simply preposterous”.

At a preliminary hearing earlier this month, lawyers for the group and the publisher returned to the High Court in London ahead of an expected trial in January 2026.

Antony White KC, for ANL, made a bid to have allegations that two Mail on Sunday journalists burgled the home of Michael Ward in 1992 and stole documents thrown out ahead of the trial.

And in a judgment on Friday, Mr Justice Nicklin agreed.

He said: “Even if proved true, they cannot assist in the fair resolution of the claimants’ claims. It is not alleged that this incident has any connection with any claimant, or any pleaded journalist.”

In his 16-page ruling, the judge said that resolving these allegations had become “extremely complex” and an “involved side-show”.

He continued: “The events took place over 30 years ago. This is not a small area of the case. It is now a substantial dispute of fact.

“The costs and resources that would be devoted to resolving the factual dispute would, I am satisfied, be out of all proportion to any possible evidential value.

“Put bluntly, it has become a complex and involved side-show.”

The PA news agency understands that lawyers representing the group of seven, which also includes David Furnish, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes, will make a bid to appeal against Mr Justice Nicklin’s ruling as wrong in fact and in law.