The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has arrived at the High Court in London, joining a group of high-profile individuals in a legal battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The nine-week trial will see Harry and others, including Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actress Liz Hurley, and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, take on Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
The claimants allege that ANL, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, engaged in a “systematic and sustained” campaign of unlawful activities, including hiring private investigators to install listening devices in cars, “blagging” private records, and accessing private phone conversations. Their lawyer, David Sherborne, told the court that these unlawful acts were carried out by journalists from both the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Sherborne argued that ANL had initially “emphatically denied” any wrongdoing during the Leveson Inquiry, claiming to be a “clean ship.” However, he said the company now knows it had “skeletons in its closet” and that its previous denials were not true.
The trial will see Harry take the witness stand, while several journalists and editors, including long-standing former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, are expected to provide evidence. This is not the first time Harry has taken legal action against newspaper publishers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, having previously won a case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror in 2023.
The case has drawn significant attention, with the group of claimants including not only the Duke of Sussex but also high-profile figures such as Sir Elton John, Baroness Lawrence, and actress Sadie Frost. The outcome of this trial could have far-reaching implications for the media industry and the ongoing debate around press regulation and privacy rights.