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Prince Harry's 'irreversible' royal rift as experts say Prince William is 'furious'

Prince Harry has been making several public appearances during a rare UK visit, but his trip has been overshadowed by drama after losing his High Court privacy case against the Daily Mail's publisher

[Prince Harry Attends The Invictus Games Foundation Event In London]

The former royal butler doesn't think the palace will be happy(Image: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Prince Harry has made an rare trip to the UK, and his visit is not without its share of controversy.

The prince has been staying at an undisclosed location after Buckingham Palace confirmed he is not staying at the royal residence, as he makes a number of public appearances across the UK this week.

On Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex lost his High Court privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail. He, along with several high-profile figures including Elizabeth Hurley, brought the case against Associated Newspapers.

They claimed unlawful methods had been employed to gather information for stories, allegations which have always been strongly refuted by Associated Newspapers.

Mr Justice Nicklin informed the group that the accusations were so grave they had to demonstrate the information had been obtained unlawfully and that they needed more compelling evidence.

[Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex]

The former butler thinks William will be 'furious'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Justice Nicklin said: "I accept that he found the article intrusive and was genuinely concerned by how journalists appeared to know private information concerning his relationships. But suspicion, even understandable suspicion, is not proof."

Prince Harry, together with the others involved in the case, issued a statement following the ruling. In a joint statement with Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the Duke of Sussex declared: "It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected."

The pair said: "We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither.

"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.

"Generic findings about various private investigators that were held by the courts in these parallel claims to have carried out unlawful activity at the very same time in relation to similar stories and well-known individuals have been wholly ignored.

[Prince Harry Attends The Invictus Games Foundation Event In London]

Harry lost his legal battle against Associated Newspapers Ltd(Image: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

"The fact that this court has chosen to dismiss them represents an inconsistency which is hard to understand or reconcile with common sense, or the evidence heard in the courtroom itself.

"It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected. However, the lengths to which the court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted.

"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.

"One need not look past when a private investigator the Mail used actually admitted on tape to having unlawfully blagged Baroness Lawrence, or when a journalist recorded the name of the private investigators she used to find out about highly sensitive medical information, that even the Mail was too worried to publish, or when another private investigator emailed one of the journalists with the actual British Airways seat number and ticketing details for a young girl simply visiting her boyfriend, in return for payment."

[Prince Harry has lost his court case]

Prince Harry has lost his court case(Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

Since withdrawing from his royal role, the Prince has been outspoken about his views and feelings regarding the royals, as demonstrated in a televised Oprah Winfrey interview and his own Netflix documentary series.

Consequently, for many people there is a trust barrier that has been shattered, as personal family matters have been made public.

People are speculating about whether Harry will meet with his father and royal commentator Hilary Fordwich believes the Prince owes the remainder of the royal family an apology.

She claimed any contact between Harry and the King would be carefully orchestrated to safeguard the monarchy's interests.

Speaking to OLBG, former royal butler Grant Harrold has offered his views on what the developments over recent days signify for Harry's prospects with his family.

Speaking about the potential long-term impact, the butler said: "Prince Harry has basically aired his dirty laundry in public - again. This has turned it from a private issue into a public one.

"This will have a bigger impact than just a bit of upset for this visit. The Palace will not be happy at all. It's going to make things even more difficult for Harry in the longer term. And I think this could be irreversible."

[Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives at Chatham House in central London on July 7, 2026, to attend the fourteenth Invictus Games Foundation Conversation: From Policy to Practice, as part of the One Year to Go celebrations for the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)]

Prince Harry was all smiles on Tuesday before the bombshell court verdict(Image: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

He added that his behaviour shows the royals and their advisors that "Harry still isn't willing to play by the rules". Harrold explained: "He's still happy to put out statements criticising them. I think William will be furious, it's just more drama that I believe he just wants to leave in the past."

Although Harry seemingly isn't ready to let go of the past as he propels himself into the spotlight once more, returning to his homeland and delivering an address at the Invictus Games. The very address occurred just moments after news emerged of his court battle on July 7.

He was defeated in his unlawful information-gathering lawsuit against the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), in a case that he had been pursuing for years. It is reported that all 14 of Prince Harry's claims regarding numerous articles published about him have been thrown out.

This has subsequently left Harry shouldering a substantial financial load, along with the other claimants in the case, which include Sir Elton John's husband David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley and former Liberal Democrat minister Sir Simon Hughes.

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