Duke of Sussex and six high-profile claimants, including Elton John, accuse Associated Newspapers of decades of unlawful information gathering in a nine-week High Court trial.
LONDON – Prince Harry arrived at London’s High Court this week as a key claimant in a major privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, where his lawyer alleged the royal had endured a “sustained campaign of attacks” for challenging the newspaper’s intrusive practices.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, is joined by six other high-profile figures—including Sir Elton John, actress Elizabeth Hurley, and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence—in suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The group alleges the publisher engaged in decades of unlawful information gathering, spanning from the early 1990s to 2016.
“No One Sold More Copies Than Harry”
In opening statements on Tuesday, Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, told the court that “no one sold more copies” for British tabloids than Prince Harry, whose private life—particularly his relationships before marrying Meghan Markle—was the subject of intense and damaging media scrutiny.
Sherborne cited 14 articles in question, which included details of Harry’s travel plans, personal correspondence, and intimate information about former girlfriend Chelsy Davy. The coverage, he argued, caused the prince “distress and paranoia” and represented a reprisal for his legal stand against the paper.
“Is it any wonder that he feels that way, or… that he has endured a sustained campaign of attacks against him for having had the temerity to stand up to Associated?” Sherborne said.
A Broader Allegation: Hacking, Bugging, and “Blagging”
The claimants allege ANL used illegal methods—including hacking voicemails, bugging landlines, and obtaining private records through deception—to generate stories. In one instance, Sherborne said the Mail obtained Elton John and David Furnish’s son’s US birth certificate before the couple themselves.
ANL has firmly denied all allegations, calling them “preposterous smears.” The publisher’s lawyer, Antony White, said journalists relied on “legitimate sources,” including the celebrities’ own social circles and press officers, and promised “a compelling account of lawful sourcing.”
A Personal Crusade for Harry
The trial marks the latest chapter in Prince Harry’s long-running confrontation with the British press—a campaign deeply rooted in the 1997 death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash while pursued by paparazzi.
Harry is expected to give evidence as early as Wednesday, which would make this his second appearance in a witness box after becoming the first British royal in 130 years to testify in court during his 2023 case against another tabloid publisher.
The nine-week trial is set to hear testimony from all seven claimants and multiple witnesses for the defense, in a case that could redefine privacy protections for public figures in the UK.
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