Britain’s Prince Harry , has on Monday made an unexpected appearance at London’s high court for a hearing in his claim against a newspaper publisher, the Associated Newspapers Limited, over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
The publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers, is bidding to end the claims brought by high-profile figures, including Harry and the singer Elton John, over alleged unlawful activity at its titles.
Others taking part in the legal action are actresses Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, John’s husband David Furnish, and Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993.
A four-day preliminary hearing at the high court will be held from Monday and is set to include an attempt by Associated Newspapers Limited to have the claims dismissed without a trial.
The group launched the legal action last year after becoming aware of “compelling and highly distressing evidence that they have been the victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy” by Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), according to a statement by law firm Hamlins released in October 2022.
Hamlins alleges that the unlawful acts included hiring private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside cars and homes and the recording of private phone conversations.
Associated Newspapers has described the allegations as “preposterous smears” and a “pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone-hacking scandal”.
