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11 December 2019 / Jeremy Clarke-Williams , Nilly Tabatabai
Issue: 7868 / Categories: Features , Data protection
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Welcome to the jungle (Pt 2)

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I’m a celebrity (of sorts), but don’t share my private information with the public! Jeremy Clarke-Williams & Nilly Tabatabai report on royals & wags
  • Having focused in our first article on sports stars and their interactions with the press and privacy laws, we turn our gaze this time to royalty, sporting and otherwise.

The tension between the tabloids and those in the public eye reached a crescendo in October with the legal actions brought by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The Duchess issued a claim against the publishers of The Mail on Sunday for misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 in relation to the publication (in February 2019) of what she said was an edited version of a handwritten private letter she had sent to her estranged father.

Royal rumblings

It then emerged that Prince Harry had brought his own separate claims against the publishers of The Sun and the Daily Mirror newspapers for alleged phone hacking—the illegal interception

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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