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Prince Harry's Rep Reacts After Offer to Stay at Buckingham Palace Is “Withdrawn at the Last Moment"
Prince Harry, Elton John and more stars are dealing with the aftermath of a lost legal battle.
On July 7, British Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled against a group of high profile figures—that also included Elizabeth Hurley—in a lawsuit accusing the Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, of unlawful information gathering.
“Associated Newspapers welcomes today’s judgement, which is an overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists, and for a free press generally,” a spokesperson for Associated Newspapers said in a July 7 statement to E! News. “This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism.”
In the lawsuit, filed in 2022, the plaintiffs accused the newspaper organization of mobile phone hacking, landline bugging and even home bugging in 97 separate allegations. Following the ruling, Associated Newspapers applauded Judge Nicklin for how his ruling “accepted the honesty of our journalists’ evidence on how they sourced their stories.”
The publisher went on to reiterate, as they did in response to the initial filing, that the since-dismissed allegations were “lurid” and “preposterous,” adding the claims “were a fishing expedition by the claimants and their legal teams in a politically motivated campaign to muzzle the free press.”
“The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated,” the publisher continued in a statement. “As the judgement clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced.”
And Associated Publishers added gratitude for the judge’s ruling, and “for the patience and wisdom he has displayed throughout this misguided legal action, which has wasted so much valuable court time and more than £50m in legal costs.”
E! News has reached out to reps for Prince Harry, John and Hurley but has not yet heard back.
At the start of the trial in January, Harry—who previously filed two lawsuits against other newspaper publishers, one of which he won and the other that was settled—delivered an emotional testimony detailing the hardship caused by the Daily Mail’s alleged phone hacking, calling it a “horrible experience.”
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“They continue coming after me,” he said in a January court appearance, “They have made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”
And while Harry—dad to Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, with wife Meghan Markle—noted he understood the microscope his life would be under in watching his mother Princess Diana struggle with a similar hardship, he argued he faced an unprecedented amount of monitoring.
“Whenever I got on a plane, or in a car, I always expected I was being followed,” he said during his testimony. “I was under 24-hour surveillance.”
For more of the latest royal news around the world, keep reading…
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Princess Eugenie Announces 3rd Pregnancy
In May, Princess Eugenie shared she and her husband Jack Brooksbank—who share sons August, 5, and Ernest, 2—are expecting their third baby together.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested on Feb. 19, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest came amid renewed controversy over Andrew's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.)
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Prince William and Kate Middleton Break Silence on the Epstein Files
The Duke and Duchess of Wales spoke out amid the release of millions of documents in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, sharing their support for the victims of the late convicted sex offender.
"I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," a Kensington Palace spokesperson shared in a statement obtained by MS NOW Feb. 9. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
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Marius Borg Høiby, Son of Norway's Crown Princess, Arrested Ahead of Rape Trial
Marius Borg Høiby—the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and step-son of Crown Prince Haakon—was arrested Feb. 1 for assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, Oslo police confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.
The 29-year-old—who does not carry a royal title or official duties—is being kept in detention for up to four weeks over risks of reoffending after the Oslo district court granted the request. His attorney Petar Sekulic told the outlet that they are considering appealing the decision.
Høiby is expected in court Feb. 3 as part of a separate indictment regarding four alleged rapes between 2018 and 2024, as well as two alleged acts of violence against a partner and violating a restraining order.
His defense team addressed the allegations in a statement to the AP, saying that Høiby "denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence."
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Flora Vesterberg, Queen Elizabeth's Cousin, Announces Pregnancy
Flora Vesterberg, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin Princess Alexandra, announced that she is pregnant with her and husband Timothy Vesterberg's first baby.
"Delighted to share that Timothy and I are expecting our first child," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 19. "We're truly over the moon."
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Prince Harry Appears in Court for Lawsuit Against U.K. Tabloids
Harry appeared at London’s High Court Jan. 19 for the start of what is expected to be a weeks-long trial against Associated Newspapers—the media group that publishes the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, and Mail Online—over allegations of unethical newsgathering tactics
Other stars including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost are also taking aim against the publishing company in the lawsuit.
Associated Newspapers has “vigorously denied” the claims, according to the BBC.
Instagram/Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrate 10 Years Together
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated ten years together by sharing a romantic black and white video of themselves dancing in their backyard.
Set to Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” the couple revealed that the clip was recorded by none other than their 4-year-old daughter Lilibet. Alongside a camera emoji, Meghan—who also shares 6-year-old son Archie with Harry— added in the caption of the Jan. 16 Instagram post, “cred: our daughter.”
The couple also shared a throwback photo from their first year of dating. In the adorable snap, the pair embraced each other during a nature-filled getaway.
“When 2026 feels just like 2016….,” Meghan wrote in the caption. “You had to be there.”
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Princess Irene of Greece Dies at 83
The Greek royal family’s private office announced Jan. 15 that Queen Sofia of Spain’s sister died at the age of 83.
As the statement read, "It is with deep sadness that the Greek Royal Family announces that HRH Princess Irene, beloved sister and aunt, passed away on Thursday, January 15th 2026, at 11:40 local time, in Zarzuela Palace in Madrid surrounded by loved ones."
Her funeral was held Jan. 19 at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens following her death, with the burial at the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi.
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Kate Middleton Celebrates Her Birthday With Moving Message
On her 44th birthday, the Princess of Wales shared a message on the power of nature to heal.
“Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration,” Kate said in a voiceover alongside footage of snowy landscapes in her Jan. 9 video. “Where the stream slows just enough for us to see our own reflection, to discover the deepest parts of ourselves, alongside the whispers and the pulse of every living thing.”
She added, “I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am. For the rivers within us flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse and purify, come to peace with our tears and discover what it means to be alive, to be at one with nature—a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides in memory helping us to heal in.”
(Photo by Isabel Infantes / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Kate Middleton Makes Surprise Appearance With Prince William
The Princess of Wales marked her first public appearance of 2026 as she joined her husband during an engagement at the Charing Cross Hospital in London. The outing in support of healthcare workers came almost a year after she announced she was in remission following her cancer diagnosis.
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