Prince Harry is set to return to London this week for a trial over his allegations that a UK newspaper group unlawfully gathered information about him. The case marks the final stage of the royal’s long-running legal battle against the British media.
The trial is scheduled to begin at London’s High Court on Monday and is expected to last up to nine weeks. This is the third and final lawsuit brought by Prince Harry, who reportedly views holding the media accountable as a personal mission. He has had a turbulent relationship with the press and has repeatedly blamed it for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She died in a Paris car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.
Why does Prince Harry allege media misconduct?
Prince Harry, along with musician Elton John, actor Elizabeth Hurley, and others, has accused the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday of breaching their privacy. The claim alleges that the newspapers obtained information by hiring private investigators, tapping phone calls, and impersonating individuals to access personal and medical records.
Lawyers representing the claimants said the alleged misconduct occurred between 1993 and 2011, though some incidents are said to have continued as late as 2018.
What does the media company argue?
Associated Newspapers argued that the article caused no “serious” harm to Prince Harry’s reputation and represented an expression of “honest opinion.” Prince Harry lost the first stage of the case, and The Mail on Sunday stated that he had withdrawn the claim before it proceeded to trial.
High Court verdict in December 2023
In December 2023, the High Court ruled that Prince Harry had been a victim of phone hacking by journalists working for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of The Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People. The court found that 15 articles cited by Harry were based on unlawfully obtained information and awarded him £140,600 in damages (approximately $179,600 at the time).
The judge said senior executives “could and should have intervened,” but instead “turned a blind eye” to the misconduct. Prince Harry described the ruling as “vindicating and affirming,” while a spokesperson for Mirror Group Newspapers apologised to him for its “historic failings.”
