Why Prince Harry and six other household names are suing one of Britain’s biggest media groups

Prince Harry is among a group of high-profile figures taking the publishers of the Daily Mail to court over alleged unlawful information gathering that dates back more than three decades.

The Duke of Sussex and six other claimants, including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, are suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) at the High Court in London. They accuse the publisher of serious breaches of privacy between 1993 and 2011.

The claimants allege that ANL hired private investigators to carry out unlawful acts, including phone tapping, bugging homes and vehicles, obtaining medical records by deception, and paying police officers for confidential information.

Prince Harry is expected to spend a full day giving evidence on Thursday, according to a draft trial timetable. Sir Elton John, Ms Hurley and Baroness Lawrence are also expected to testify during the nine-week trial.

The case, first brought in 2022, is one of several legal actions Prince Harry has launched against British media organisations since 2019, alleging unlawful practices, privacy breaches and false reporting.

ANL, which also publishes The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, strongly denies the claims, describing them as “preposterous smears” and arguing the lawsuit amounts to a “fishing expedition” by the claimants and their lawyers.

What are the allegations?

The claimants allege that ANL engaged in a wide range of unlawful activities, including:

• Hiring private investigators to place listening devices in homes and cars

• Secretly recording live private phone calls

• Paying police officials for sensitive inside information

• Impersonating individuals to obtain medical records

• Illicitly accessing bank accounts, credit histories and financial data

Their lawyers say they uncovered “highly distressing” evidence of what they describe as “abhorrent criminal activity” and “gross breaches of privacy”.

Who is involved?

Alongside Prince Harry, the claimants include Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley, actress Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes.

All are represented by media lawyer David Sherborne, who has previously acted for Johnny Depp, Coleen Rooney and other high-profile clients.

Legal wrangling ahead of trial

At a final preliminary hearing last week, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that ANL must amend parts of its opening arguments after finding they went beyond a credibility challenge and amounted to serious allegations of dishonesty against the claimants’ legal team.

ANL’s lawyers had argued they were entitled to attack the credibility of witnesses without formally pleading fraud. The judge disagreed, citing fairness.

How did the case reach trial?

ANL previously tried to have the case struck out, arguing it was brought too late and fell outside the six-year limitation period for privacy claims. The publisher also said some claims breached restrictions imposed after the Leveson Inquiry.

In November 2023, the court ruled the case could proceed, finding ANL had failed to deliver what the judge described as a “knockout blow” to the claims.

A disputed key witness

A key issue at trial will be the evidence of private investigator Gavin Burrows, who previously claimed his signature was forged on a statement alleging hacking carried out for a Mail on Sunday journalist. He has since denied the allegations and is expected to give evidence remotely.

Harry’s previous legal battles

Prince Harry previously reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, after it apologised and agreed to pay substantial damages reportedly exceeding £10m.

He also won a separate case against Mirror Group Newspapers, with the court ruling his phone was hacked “to a modest extent” between 2003 and 2009. He was awarded £140,600 in damages, with a later settlement covering remaining claims.

The High Court case against ANL is expected to run for up to nine weeks.