London (AFP) – Prince Harry appeared to have dialled in to a court hearing in London Wednesday in his latest legal battle with the British media. King Charles III’s younger son, who has had a turbulent relationship with the press, claims he was the victim of privacy breaches through alleged phone-hacking and the use of private investigators by a UK newspaper group.
A remote link allowed multiple people to watch the preliminary hearing, ahead of a trial of up to nine weeks which could be held next year at the High Court in central London. One user appeared on the remote link screen as “Prince Harry”. Elton John’s husband David Furnish and British actor Sadie Frost are taking legal action alongside the prince, and both were present in the courtroom.
Harry, John, Furnish and Frost are part of a group of seven high-profile complainants in the case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. The group also includes actor Elizabeth Hurley. The seven accuse the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities to obtain stories. These include allegedly hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, impersonating individuals to obtain medical information, burglaries to order, and accessing and recording private phone conversations.
The allegations are firmly denied, and a trial date has not yet been set. Associated Newspapers, which is defending the legal action, has previously described the claims as “lurid” and “simply preposterous”. The hearing is expected to run into Thursday with no ruling on the allegations.
Harry was previously awarded £140,600 ($189,000) in damages after suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). In another case, he received “substantial damages” after settling a claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) in January this year. Harry became the first British royal in over a century to take the witness stand in the now-settled case with NGN. He has attended court in person on several occasions despite now living in California with his wife Meghan and their two children. The couple quit frontline royal duties in 2020 after falling out with Harry’s family, including his brother and heir to the throne Prince William.
© 2024 AFP
