Prince Harry has opened a nine-week High Court trial against Associated Newspapers Limited, alleging systematic unlawful information gathering by the publisher between 1993 and 2011. Seven claimants, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, accuse ANL of using private investigators, planting listening devices, paying corrupt police and accessing private records. ANL denies the allegations, while claimants say the case could help reform tabloid practices. Harry is due to give evidence on Thursday, and legal costs are estimated at about £40 million.
Prince Harry vs. Daily Mail Publisher: High Court Trial Opens Over Alleged Unlawful Information Gathering
Prince Harry leaves a Court of Appeal hearing regarding his security at the Royal Courts of Justice on April 8, 2025 in London. - Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Prince Harry arrived at London’s High Court on Monday as a nine-week trial opened against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. The Duke of Sussex, 41, is one of seven high-profile claimants who say ANL engaged in systematic unlawful information gathering between 1993 and 2011. Harry is expected to give evidence on Thursday.
Allegations and Legal Claims
The group alleges ANL employed private investigators to plant listening devices in homes and vehicles, record private telephone conversations, pay corrupt police officers for sensitive information, impersonate others to obtain medical records, and access bank and financial records through illicit means. The seven claimants who brought the October 2022 action include Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost, and former politician Simon Hughes.
ANL Denial and Opening Statements
ANL has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as lurid and preposterous. In court on Monday, David Sherborne — representing the claimants — told the judge he will show that “there was clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful news gathering at both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.” Sherborne added in written submissions that there is compelling evidence, despite the loss of some documents, that unlawful information-gathering activities took place and produced unlawful articles.
Elizabeth Hurley, pictured in New York City in May last year, is one of seven high-profile claimants suing Associated Newspapers Limited over unlawful information gathering practices. - John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
“There can be little doubt that journalists and executives across the Mail titles engaged in or were complicit in the culture of unlawful information gathering that wrecked the lives of so many,” Sherborne said.
Stakes, Timetable and Witnesses
The trial carries high reputational stakes and significant legal costs, estimated at about £40 million (roughly $53.5 million). Over the next nine weeks several claimants are expected to give evidence. According to a draft timetable, Harry will take the witness box on Thursday; this will be his second time testifying in court, after his 2023 appearance in a separate legal action.
Context: Phone-Hacking Scandal and Previous Lawsuits
The case comes against the backdrop of Britain’s broader media ethics crisis, including the 2011 phone-hacking scandal that forced the closure of the News of the World and prompted a public inquiry. Unlike some other publishers, ANL has not previously been at the center of phone-hacking prosecutions. Harry, however, has successfully sued other British tabloid groups in recent years — including News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers — securing apologies, admissions of wrongdoing and damages.
Commentary and Personal Motives
Damian Tambini, a media regulation expert at the London School of Economics, told Reuters that Harry’s repeated trips to London to pursue legal action signal a commitment to changing industry practices. Tambini suggested Harry’s motivation goes beyond compensation and is rooted in personal and broader principled concerns about press conduct.
The Duke of Sussex arrives to give evidence in a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers related to allegations of unlawful information gathering in previous decades at the High Court in 2023 in London. - Kate Green/Getty Images
Related Developments
Not all of Harry’s legal efforts have succeeded: last year he lost a challenge against the UK Home Office over the withdrawal of taxpayer-funded security after he stepped down from royal duties. British media have reported the government later launched a fresh review of his security arrangements for UK visits.
Harry returned to Britain in the autumn and reunited with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months at Clarence House. The King is expected to be in Scotland while the trial proceeds; reports indicate he wished to keep a distance from the proceedings. Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are also due in Scotland for royal engagements this week.
The trial will be closely watched not only for its potential consequences for ANL and the claimants, but for what it may mean for press practices and privacy protections in the UK going forward.
Help us improve.
