Prince Harry Returns To London As Major Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, arrived in London on Monday to begin a high-profile privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper.

Prince Harry arrives in London for his privacy case aganist Daily Mail

He appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London as legal proceedings opened against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the company that owns the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. The case is expected to run for up to nine or ten weeks, and Prince Harry is due to give evidence later in the week.

This lawsuit is part of a long-running fight by Prince Harry and several other public figures against what they describe as unlawful information gathering by a major British media group.

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Harry is not alone in this case. The group of claimants also includes Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and former politician Sir Simon Hughes. All allege that ANL hired private investigators and used illegal methods to obtain personal and confidential information about them over many years.

Why has this case been filed against Daily Mail?

The legal action centres on claims that private investigators were used to intercept private information in ways that violated the claimants' rights to privacy. Alleged tactics include tapping into voicemail messages and telephone calls, placing listening devices in cars and homes,“blagging” confidential medical or financial records by impersonation, and paying police officers or others for insider information. Lawyers for the claimants have described these practices as part of a systematic campaign of unlawful information gathering over many years.

Prince Harry's legal team says that some of the details published about him in the Daily Mail and related titles could not have been obtained lawfully. They allege that articles about his personal life – including stories about his relationships, his family, and private arrangements – were based on information gained from illegal or intrusive methods.

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The barrister representing the claimants, David Sherborne, told the High Court that there was“clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” by the newspaper group.

The publisher strongly denies all wrongdoing. ANL has described the claims as“preposterous smears” and insists that the information in question was obtained legitimately and lawfully. In written court documents, the company said that many journalists and editors have given witness statements denying any illegal conduct. The publisher also argues that much of the alleged activity took place decades ago and that the claimants waited too long to bring their lawsuits.

This case is the latest in a series of legal actions that Prince Harry has brought against British newspapers. In previous litigation, he sued News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun and News of the World, reaching a settlement before trial.

He also took action against Mirror Group Newspapers, winning damages when the court found unlawful information gathering had occurred at that group. In 2023, Harry made legal history by becoming the first member of the British royal family in 130 years to give live evidence in court during his Mirror Group case.

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The trial before Mr Justice Nicklin is a civil case, which means there is no jury. He alone will decide the outcome and whether the claimants are entitled to financial damages. Each claimant will describe the impact that alleged privacy breaches had on their lives, and the court will examine the evidence over several weeks.

For Prince Harry, the legal battle is about more than money. He has said that the way the press treated him and his family has shaped his life and damaged relationships. Returning from his home in California, he faces intense media scrutiny once again as he seeks legal accountability in a case that highlights ongoing debates about press behaviour, privacy rights, and accountability in the UK media.

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