Before heading off to the Amalfi coast for a Pt 36 retreat, Dominic Regan brings us up to date on blockbuster judgments, high-quality gossip & liquid gold
I spent a day working through the 436-page blockbuster judgment penned by Mr Justice Nicklin in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers Ltd [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB). All 97 claims advanced by Prince Harry, Baroness Lawrence, Sir Elton and others were dismissed. The trial lasted 46 days and concluded on 31 March. To deliver so thorough and watertight a decision in three months was remarkable. The detail was exquisite; one young journalist was honest but ‘naive’. A vinegar-faced statement from the Prince and Baroness describing the judgment as ‘a whitewash’ was nothing short of outrageous. These claimants had cleaned up in other successful actions without demur.
A consequential hearing to be heard this week will be solely concerned with costs in the tens of millions. The action was subject to costs management at the outset, but such orders only relate to the conventional recovery of standard basis costs. The victor will want to
