Tens of millions of dollars are on the line as Prince Harry returned to court Monday for the final chapter in his legal quest to challenge British tabloids.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is the most prominent litigant in a case accusing the publisher of the Daily Mail of invading the privacy of several high-profile individuals through unlawful information-gathering tactics.
Prince Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost are among seven individuals who allege that Associated Newspapers Ltd. hired private investigators to bug their cars, obtain private records and eavesdrop on phone calls.
The publisher has denied the allegations, calling them preposterous.
The trial in London’s High Court is expected to last nine weeks. (AP: Alastair Grant)
Attorney David Sherborne opened the case, stating there was a culture at Associated Newspapers spanning decades to unlawfully gather information “that wrecked the lives of so many.” He said the company’s denials, destruction of records and “masses upon masses of missing documents” had prevented the claimants from learning what the newspapers had done.
“They swore that they were a clean ship,” Sherborne said. “Associated knew that these emphatic denials were not true. They knew they had skeletons in their closet.”
The trial in London’s High Court is expected to last nine weeks and will see Harry return to the witness box for the second time since he became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in more than a century in 2023.
Harry waved to reporters and said “good morning” as he entered the court building via a side entrance. He sat in the back row of the courtroom near Hurley and Frost.
The prince vs the publishers
The case is one of many that has emerged from the widespread phone hacking scandal, in which some journalists began intercepting voicemail messages around the turn of the century and continued for more than a decade.
Harry won a court judgment in 2023 condemning the publishers of the Daily Mirror for “widespread and habitual” phone hacking. Last year, Rupert Murdoch’s flagship UK tabloid issued an unprecedented apology for years of intrusion and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle a privacy invasion lawsuit.
Harry’s mission to reform the media is personal and extends beyond headlines about his youth and romances. He holds the press responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi. He also blames the press for attacks on his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which led them to leave royal life and move to the United States in 2020.
Repairing rift in the royal family
The trial comes as Harry attempts to repair a strained relationship with his family following his move to America and the publication of his memoir, Spare, and a Netflix series detailing family grievances. Relations with his father, King Charles III, appear to be improving after a meeting last fall. A reunion this time looks unlikely, as the start of the trial coincides with Charles’ trip to Scotland, and Harry’s visit is expected to be limited to the opening of the trial and his early testimony.
Prince Harry holds the press responsible for the death of his mother and blames them for persistent attacks on his wife. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Wins and losses before trial
The case against the Mail was filed in 2022 and has been the subject of several hearings. Lawyers for Associated Newspapers argued the case should be dismissed because claims dating back to 1993 were brought too late. However, Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled the cases had a “real prospect of succeeding” and the publisher had not delivered a “knockout blow” to the claims. The judge also ruled Harry and the others could not use records showing payments by the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday to private investigators because they had been disclosed in confidence to a government inquiry. Harry’s lawyers later received permission from UK government officials to use the documents.
Private eye with conflicting claims
A private investigator whose statement supports the claims of Harry and the celebrities has also filed a statement denying he ever snooped on them. During an earlier hearing, attorney David Sherborne said his clients were unaware they were phone hacking victims until Gavin Burrows and other investigators came forward in 2021 to “do the right thing.” Mr. Burrows said he “must have done hundreds of jobs” for the Mail between 2000 and 2005, and that Harry, John, Hurley and Frost were “just a small handful of my targets.” He has since signed a statement saying he was not hired by Associated Newspapers to do any unlawful work. It is unclear what impact his conflicting statements will have on the case.
The other claimants are anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence and former politician Simon Hughes.
AP
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
