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By Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent
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Prince Harry has arrived at London's High Court to sue the publisher of the Daily Mail alongside celebrities, including singer Sir Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley.
The Duke of Sussex and his co-claimants have accused Associated Newspapers of hacking phones, wire tapping and other unlawful reporting techniques at the Mail and The Mail on Sunday.
From as far back as October 2022 when the case was filed, Associated has said it would "utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears" and the case looks set to get messy.
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The evidence from key witness Gavin Burrows, a former private investigator, is disputed. Initially he allegedly said in a statement that he targeted Harry and the other claimants with illegal practices. But a conflicting statement to the Mail's lawyers denies this, saying: "I believe that my signature on that document is a forgery."
Why It Matters
It is a crunch moment for Harry, however. Between them, Harry and Meghan launched ten lawsuits between 2019 and 2022, four of which have been against Mail titles, mostly The Mail on Sunday. Initially, they had much success but Harry's record more recently has been checkered.
Harry pulled a libel case against The Mail on Sunday and lost two cases he filed against the British Government over his police protection alongside a win against Mirror Group Newspapers on phone hacking and a case against Rupert Murdoch's newspaper group that was settled out of court.
This latest lawsuit is the final case on the list and Harry's last chance to land an indisputable PR triumph against the Mail.
What to Know
Harry's lawyers are making their case in relation to a time period spanning from 1993 through to 2018, though the core of his allegations relate to 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013.
A court filing released as the trial began on Monday, and seen by Newsweek, read: "The unlawful articles in this claim were predominantly within the Diary column of the Mail on Sunday, but include articles in the Daily Mail as well. The Duke’s claim is in misuse of private information in relation to each of the 14 unlawful articles.
"In every case, the [Duke of Sussex] relies on the following matters in support of his claim, including as to the inference that the relevant information was gathered by [Unlawful Information Gathering].
"The fact that information concerning him, when misused, is inherently likely to have (and in fact has had) a profoundly negative impact on his personal relationships (especially with those of his associates involved in the relevant story) and private life, given his status and the interest of the public (as opposed to in the public interest, which is clearly distinguishable) in stories of almost any quality concerning him.
"The [Duke of Sussex's] evidence is often poignant in this regard, both as to the safety concerns which Associated’s intrusions caused him, and the grievous disturbances they caused in his relationships with those he was close to, and indeed his own peace of mind."
The full list of claimants also includes actress Sadie Frost, the ex wife of Jude Law, David Furnish, Elton John's husband, Sir Simon Hughes, a former British politician with the Liberal Democrats, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, a campaigner on racial justice whose son died in a racist murder, the investigation of which was botched by the police.
What People Are Saying
A 2022 statement by Associated Newspapers read: "We utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old.
"These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims—based on no credible evidence—appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere."
What Happens Next
The trial is expected to last nine weeks.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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