The Duke of Sussex has arrived at the High Court in London as the trial against the publisher of The Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information gathering begins.
Dressed smartly in a navy blue suit with a matching tie over a white shirt, Prince Harry, 41, waved briefly as he made his way inside the court.
Harry, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes and actresses Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley are all taking action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
The group claims that the publisher carried out or commissioned unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, "blagging" private records and accessing private phone conversations.
ANL, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, has vehemently denied the allegations.
© Max MumbyHarry and the other claimants are all expected to provide evidence, with the Duke's time in the witness box scheduled to be on Thursday. Sir Elton and Mr Furnish are expected to give evidence remotely. The trial is expected to last nine weeks.
Who else attended the High Court on Monday?
Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley were two of the other high-profile claimants who attended court on Monday.
© GC ImagesIn her case against ANL, Sadie alleges she suffered invasions of her privacy through phone hacking and the tapping of her ex-husband Jude Law's landline when he was discussing details of their divorce settlement.
© AFP via Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Elizabeth arrived at the central London court, supported by her 23-year-old son, Damian.
Why is Prince Harry at the High Court?
The group of seven claimants, including Prince Harry, all allege ANL had a practice of "clear systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering".
The claimants started legal action against ANL in 2022, with documents setting out the claims naming dozens of journalists, including some national newspaper editors. In 2023, ANL failed to have the cases thrown out before a trial on the basis that they were "time-barred", or brought too late.
© Getty ImagesIn written submissions for the hearing in May that year, Adrian Beltrami KC, for ANL, said that the legal actions were "stale". He also said the individuals had to prove they did not know earlier, or could not have discovered earlier, that they might have had a claim against it for alleged misuse of their private information.
The barrister for the claimants, David Sherborne, previously said the alleged unlawful acts in the claim include illegally intercepting voicemail messages, listening to live landline calls and obtaining medical records.
In written submissions, he said: "They range through a period from 1993 to 2011, even continuing beyond until 2018."
© GettyMr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid to have the claims dismissed in November 2023, ruling that the publisher had not delivered a "knockout blow" to the claims. He concluded that each of the group had a "real prospect" of demonstrating that ANL concealed "relevant facts" that would have allowed them to bring a claim against the publisher earlier.
Harry's claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are based on 14 articles by two journalists between 2001 and 2013, written submissions say.
Mr Sherborne's submissions 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."
Prince Harry's previous legal action
Harry has previously brought legal action against other newspaper publishers over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
© Getty ImagesIn 2023, he was awarded £140,600 in damages from Mirror Group Newspapers, and settled a claim against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, last January.
The Duke also lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Home Office over his security arrangements while in the UK last May. The Home Office has now ordered a threat assessment for the first time since 2020, The Sun reported in December.
© Getty ImagesNovember 2005
Buckingham Palace trigger police enquiry alleging News of the World's story on Prince William's knee injury could only have been attained through phone hacking.
January 2007
News of the World private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and royal editor Clive Goodman are sentenced to six and four months respectively for hacking the phones of royal aides. Goodman subsequently admits hacking William's phone 35 times and Princess Kate's over 150 times, but parent company News Corp maintains the pair were rogue employees.
January 2011
Police reopen the investigation after News of the World comes forward with "significant new information".
April 2011
News of the World admits liability for the phone hacking and pays actress Sienna Miller £100,000 in a related settlement. A slew of settlements with various famous people follow.
July 2011
The Guardian alleges News of the World hacked the phone of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler during the police search for her, prompting mass outrage and the closure by Rupert Murdoch of News of the World.
November 2012
British Prime Minister David Cameron instituted the Leveson inquiry into media ethics, which would go on to recommend the creation of an independent press watchdog backed by the government. To date, not all the recommendations have been implemented.
October 2013
Former News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks are the most prominent defendants to go on trial at the Old Bailey on charges of phone hacking and making illegal payments to officials. The trial lasted eight months and resulted in Coulson being sentenced to 18 months in prison but the acquittal of Brooks.
December 2015
England's chief prosecutor says no more criminal cases will be brought against Murdoch's News Group and rival Mirror Group Newspapers.
2019
Prince Harry launches lawsuits against Murdoch's News Group Newsletters (NGN), the Mirror Group and Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, claiming stories about his schooldays, teenage japes and former relationships were obtained illegally.
February 2021
Meghan Markle wins invasion of privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers over the publication of a letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
June 2023
In his case against Mirror Group, Prince Harry became the first member of the British royal family since Prince Albert Edward (who would become King Edward VII) in 1891 to appear as a witness in court.
December 2023
Harry wins his case against Mirror Group but later says: "Our mission continues."
January 2025
Prince Harry's five-year-lawsuit against The Sun is over before it begins as the Duke, alongside fellow litigant Lord Tom Watson, reaches a shock settlement with publisher NGN agreeing to pay "substantial damages".
January 2026
Harry's group action against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over unlawful information gathering begins at the High Court in London.
Will Harry see the royal family during his UK visit?
The Duke is not expected to see the King or the Prince and Princess of Wales during his visit. Charles, 77, is currently in Scotland for his traditional post-Christmas stay and will host a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to celebrate Scotland's entrepreneurial spirit on Monday.
Father and son were last reunited in September after 19 months, with Harry meeting with Charles at Clarence House for tea during his visit.
© GettyThe Telegraph reported that royal sources acknowledged the King did not wish to be linked to any court proceedings, so will give his son a wide berth on this occasion.
Meanwhile, relations between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, 43, remain estranged. The pair were last seen publicly together at the King's coronation in May 2023.
© GettyWilliam and Kate are set to travel up to Stirling in Scotland on Tuesday to meet with the Team GB and Paralympic GB curling squads at the National Curling Academy ahead of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and visit a handweaving studio.
On Thursday, the day Harry is due to give evidence in court, the Prince of Wales will be in Bristol to showcase the city's trailblazing achievements in sustainability.
Additional reporting by PA.
