The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, was present at the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London on Monday for the opening day of a landmark legal battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
A Coalition of High-Profile Claimants
He is joined by six other prominent figures, all alleging that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) engaged in a systematic and sustained campaign of unlawful information gathering. The co-claimants are Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, former politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, who attended with her son Damian.
In opening arguments, their barrister, David Sherborne, told the court the publisher had a "culture of unlawful information gathering that wrecked the lives of so many." He alleged the practice spanned at least two decades, from 1993 to 2011 and possibly beyond, and that ANL's denials to the Leveson Inquiry in 2011 were "not true."
Allegations of Phone Taps and Blagging
The wide-ranging claims include accusations of phone tapping, bugging homes, and obtaining private medical records by deception. The court heard that ANL journalists spent more than £3 million on private investigators during the relevant period. This included payments to a "talented" voice actor, described as a "blagger," who specialised in deceiving organisations to extract confidential data.
Documents released revealed articles concerning other famous names were also discussed, including former home secretary David Blunkett, comedian Ronnie Barker's son, actress Billie Piper, and Euan Blair, son of the former Prime Minister.
Profound Personal Impact on the Claimants
Mr Sherborne outlined the severe personal toll on Prince Harry, whose case centres on 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013. The Duke described feeling his "every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored," which created "a massive strain" on relationships, drove him "paranoid beyond belief" and left him feeling isolated. He is scheduled to give evidence in person on Thursday.
In deeply personal written submissions, actress Sadie Frost detailed the distress caused by articles that included verbatim quotes from private phone calls with her then-husband Jude Law and details of a medical termination. She said the stories "violated me, my friends and family, and my children" and destroyed her trust in others.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish, who followed proceedings via video-link, expressed outrage at the alleged theft of their son Zachary's birth certificate and medical details, saying it violated their home and their children's safety. Baroness Lawrence said the intrusion made her feel like a "victim all over again," unable to grieve privately.
Publisher's Robust Defence
ANL strongly denies all allegations of wrongdoing. Its barrister, Antony White KC, told the court the information was gathered through entirely legal means, such as journalists' contacts, spokespeople, and news agencies. He also noted it was "a striking feature" that none of the claimants complained about the articles at the time they were published.
The case, which was brought in 2022, is expected to last for nine weeks. This marks Prince Harry's third major legal action against UK newspaper publishers, following a victory against Mirror Group Newspapers in 2023 and a settled claim against News Group Newspapers last year.
