LONDON – Prince Harry arrived at London’s High Court on Monday morning (19 January) for what promises to be a landmark nine-week trial against one of Britain’s most powerful newspaper groups, in his final legal battle with the UK press.
The Duke of Sussex entered the Royal Courts of Justice shortly after 10:00, ahead of opening statements in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd., publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday tabloids.
This marks Harry’s third and final case against British newspaper publishers, cementing his reputation for taking on the media in what observers describe as a personal crusade for accountability.
The allegations
Harry, alongside six high-profile co-claimants including Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, accuses Associated Newspapers of orchestrating an extensive campaign of unlawful information gathering.
The prince and his co-claimants allege the newspaper group hired private investigators to install listening devices in vehicles, engaged in “blagging” by impersonating individuals to obtain confidential medical records, and illegally accessed private phone conversations.
Associated Newspapers has categorically denied the claims, dismissing them as “lurid” and “preposterous.”
Harry is scheduled to take the witness stand on Thursday, marking another historic moment in his legal campaign against the British press. In 2023, he became the first senior royal in over a century to give evidence in court during his successful case against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Actor Elizabeth Hurley will testify the following week, with Sir Elton John and David Furnish scheduled to appear in early February. Actress Sadie Frost is also among the complainants.
Rare UK return
This represents a rare trip home for the prince, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California with his wife Meghan and their two children.
During his last UK visit in September, Harry met with King Charles III in an apparent attempt to heal their strained relationship. However, British media report no plans for a father-son meeting during this court appearance.
The current case follows Harry’s successful legal battles against other media giants. Earlier this year, he secured a settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, which publishes The Sun and formerly published the News of the World.
NGN agreed to pay “substantial damages” and issued a “full and unequivocal apology” for phone hacking and surveillance activities targeting both Harry and his late mother, Princess Diana.
In December 2023, Harry won his case against Mirror Group Newspapers, with the High Court ruling he had been a victim of phone hacking and awarding him £140,600 in damages.
Press freedom stakes
Media lawyer Mark Stephens suggests this final case will focus primarily on press freedom and future media accountability rather than past grievances.
“This case is going to be more about tomorrow’s accountability for the media more generally,” Stephens told AFP.
The trial, expected to last nine weeks, represents the culmination of Harry’s sustained legal campaign against the British press — a mission he has long pursued in memory of Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 Paris car crash while fleeing paparazzi photographers.
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