The Duke of Sussex has joined a number of celebrities in suing the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online.
Prince Harry is back in London. The Duke of Sussex appeared Monday morning at London’s High Court to be present at the hearing that puts him before Associated Newspapers Limited, a company he accuses of collecting illegal information.
The sudden appearance of Harry, 38, in London is the first trip to the UK by King Charles III’s son since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.
According to CNN International, last year Prince Harry joined a number of celebrities suing the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online. Among the names behind the lawsuit are Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, David Furnish and Doreen Lawrence.
The group of plaintiffs accuses Associated Newspapers Limited of engaging in various types of criminal activities to obtain information about celebrities over the years and alleging that they were “victims of heinous criminal activity and massive breaches of privacy”.
In the complaint, the group also accused the company of hiring private investigators to carry out illegal acts such as wiretapping in homes and cars as well as recording private calls.
In addition, the group of plaintiffs accuses the publisher of paying corrupt police officers to obtain classified information, attempting to obtain medical records, invading bank accounts and accessing financial transactions by “illegal means and manipulations”.
Associated Newspapers Limited dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous defamation”, and called the lawsuit “a planned and pre-orchestrated attempt to drag mail addresses into a phone-hacking scandal”.
Even a spokesperson for the publisher, quoted by PA Media, said that the “extremely defamatory allegations were not based on any credible evidence.”
This Monday is the first of four days of hearings at the High Court in London, at a trial in which the publisher is expected to try to dismiss the case. However, it is not known how many days Prince Harry will be present. It’s also unclear if the Duke of Sussex will reunite with his father and brother, whose relationship has been strained by the release of a Netflix documentary and memoir.
However, a royal source told CNN that it is unlikely the brothers will ever meet as William is not in Windsor due to the school holiday period.
