Prince Harry back in UK court for battle with Daily Mail publisher
Harry stepped out at High Court again Tuesday but skipped the proceedings Wednesday. The company’s lawyers said the group of individuals should have suspected they were the potential victims of illegal behaviour at a much earlier stage, when phone hacking was first in the news more than a decade ago or they first saw suspicious articles. Prince Harry seems to be done with the royal family’s shenanigans when it comes to their uncomfortably close relationship with the press. So, the Duke of Sussex took a burn-it-all-down approach with his witness statement on Tuesday in court. Prince Harry was in a London court Monday as the lawyer for a group of British tabloids prepared to ask a judge to toss out lawsuits by the prince, Elton John and several other celebrities who allege phone tapping and other invasions of privacy.
The case is one of several brought by the Duke of Sussex in his battle with the press and alleges the publisher hired private investigators to illegally bug homes and cars and to record phone conversations. During a four-day preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the legal action to proceed but Harry’s presence in court was indicative of how strongly he feels about his right to privacy. The UK’s newspapers have a shady history with unlawful information gathering. Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World closed in 2011 after a phone hacking scandal, while the Daily Mirror has faced waves of claims over the conduct of its journalists. Harry is separately claiming against the Mail on Sunday and Mirror Group Newspapers. A judge at London's High Court on Wednesday ruled that Prince Harry's lawsuit against a UK newspaper publisher over allegations of phone hacking will go to trial in May, in the month of King Charles III's Coronation.
The prince, also known as the Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, lost their publicly funded U.K. Police protection when they stepped down as senior working royals and moved to North America in 2020. Even though the publisher has called the allegations "unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims, based on no credible evidence," the duke was photographed on Monday in London looking fairly confident—one photograph shows him looking particularly amused and excited. The publisher said the claims are too old to be brought now and should also be thrown out because because they rely on information the newspapers turned over in confidentiality for a 2012 probe into media law breaking.
Though the royal had no plans to visit his family during an unannounced trip to the UK, his appearance emphasized his continuing concerns about the practices of England’s media. Powerhouse publisher ANL denies the allegations, calling them "preposterous smears," the BBC reported. The Duke of Sussex, 38, arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Thursday and gave a small wave as he made his way in. Harry's attorney David Sherborne and fellow claimant David Furnish also attended the hearing. Lawyers acting for Harry and the other claimants argue that it was not possible to bring the cases earlier because they had not seen any evidence that suggested they were potential victims of illegal behaviour.
The hearing will examine the claims Prince Harry and seven other defendants are making against ANL, who is arguing for the case to be dismissed. But in a later statement signed in March this year, Mr Burrows said he wished “to make clear that I was never instructed or commissioned by or anyone at the Mail on Sunday or the Daily Mail to conduct unlawful information gathering on their behalf”. In one statement, signed in August 2021, Mr Burrows claimed to have targeted “hundreds, possibly thousands of people” through voicemail hacking, landline tapping and accessing financial and medical information for a journalist at the Mail on Sunday. “The accessing of bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation,” per the statement from law firm Hamlins, which is representing Prince Harry and Frost, and published by the BBC. Harry is one of several high profile claimants accusing The Daily Mail of several privacy breaches, including phone tapping.
In the witness statement, which continues over more than 20 pages, Burrows apparently admits to a wide variety of crimes and states that he targeted “thousands” of people on behalf of the Mail on Sunday. At some point in the coming weeks Mr Justice Nicklin will hand down a verdict on whether the case can proceed towards trial, either opening the door for one of the most high-profile media trials in British legal history – or killing it before it even began. Harry’s decision to fly in from the US, entering through the front door for maximum press attention, focused global media attention on what could otherwise have been a drab four-day preliminary hearing. Prince Harry’s court appearance in London is reportedly his first public appearance in the United Kingdom since he attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September.
Articles were falsely attributed to “friends,” a family source, palace sources, royal insider, or similar phrases to throw subjects “off the scent” of the true origin, Sherborne said. Tuesday's hearing came just days before the release of a much-anticipated Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan. Judge Barbara Fontaine ruled that Harry's lawyers should provide "clarification" about the offer he says he made, which she added would "assist the parties ... in the attempts about settlement, which I hope are successful". Prince Harry with his wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties two years ago.
His surprise return also comes nearly three months after he publicized stories about his troubled relationship with his dad and his brother in his autobiography, Spare. Harry also released a Netflix documentary,Harry & Meghan, with his wife, Meghan Markle, in December, which included details of their struggles within the royal family. Harry's appearance on Monday is believed to be the first time the 38-year-old royal has been back to the United Kingdom since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September. It's also just over a month ahead of his his father, King Charles III's, coronation on May 6.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Did Get a Coronation Invitation—Via EmailAfter weeks of speculation, the couple’s spokesperson announced that King Charles had invited them to the coronation, but did not say whether they would attend. Speculation about whether Harry and or Meghan will attend the king's coronation ramped up after news broke that the couple had been asked to vacate their U.K. “I hacked, tapped and bugged Liz a number of times,” Burrows said in his earlier statement. "She was a huge earner for me. I could get an itemized phone bill for Liz and Hugh and sell each one for 5,000 pounds (about $6,185), much more than the average price on my menu." And Prince Harry is currently suing the ANL separately for defamation over a 2022 article about his security arrangements.
The memoir is a detailed account of Harry's rift with his family, his decision to leave his senior royal role in 2020 and how he felt growing up as the "spare" to his older brother Prince William, the heir to the throne. In court documents, legal representatives for the Home Office wrote that Ravec never received an offer to fund security from the prince, and that the committee would have "rejected any such offer as a matter of principle." Harry's lawyer spoke of tensions between the prince and the Queen's private secretary, Edward Young. Harry and his family no longer have publicly-funded security since their step back from royal life. The case alleges that unlawful practices were used to get information for stories by the publisher.
The case is one of several brought by the Duke of Sussex in his battle with the press and alleges the publisher hired private investigators to illegally bug homes and cars and to record phone conversations. During a four-day preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the legal action to proceed but Harry’s presence in court was indicative of how strongly he feels about his right to privacy. The UK’s newspapers have a shady history with unlawful information gathering. Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World closed in 2011 after a phone hacking scandal, while the Daily Mirror has faced waves of claims over the conduct of its journalists. Harry is separately claiming against the Mail on Sunday and Mirror Group Newspapers. A judge at London's High Court on Wednesday ruled that Prince Harry's lawsuit against a UK newspaper publisher over allegations of phone hacking will go to trial in May, in the month of King Charles III's Coronation.
The prince, also known as the Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, lost their publicly funded U.K. Police protection when they stepped down as senior working royals and moved to North America in 2020. Even though the publisher has called the allegations "unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims, based on no credible evidence," the duke was photographed on Monday in London looking fairly confident—one photograph shows him looking particularly amused and excited. The publisher said the claims are too old to be brought now and should also be thrown out because because they rely on information the newspapers turned over in confidentiality for a 2012 probe into media law breaking.
Though the royal had no plans to visit his family during an unannounced trip to the UK, his appearance emphasized his continuing concerns about the practices of England’s media. Powerhouse publisher ANL denies the allegations, calling them "preposterous smears," the BBC reported. The Duke of Sussex, 38, arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Thursday and gave a small wave as he made his way in. Harry's attorney David Sherborne and fellow claimant David Furnish also attended the hearing. Lawyers acting for Harry and the other claimants argue that it was not possible to bring the cases earlier because they had not seen any evidence that suggested they were potential victims of illegal behaviour.
The hearing will examine the claims Prince Harry and seven other defendants are making against ANL, who is arguing for the case to be dismissed. But in a later statement signed in March this year, Mr Burrows said he wished “to make clear that I was never instructed or commissioned by or anyone at the Mail on Sunday or the Daily Mail to conduct unlawful information gathering on their behalf”. In one statement, signed in August 2021, Mr Burrows claimed to have targeted “hundreds, possibly thousands of people” through voicemail hacking, landline tapping and accessing financial and medical information for a journalist at the Mail on Sunday. “The accessing of bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation,” per the statement from law firm Hamlins, which is representing Prince Harry and Frost, and published by the BBC. Harry is one of several high profile claimants accusing The Daily Mail of several privacy breaches, including phone tapping.
In the witness statement, which continues over more than 20 pages, Burrows apparently admits to a wide variety of crimes and states that he targeted “thousands” of people on behalf of the Mail on Sunday. At some point in the coming weeks Mr Justice Nicklin will hand down a verdict on whether the case can proceed towards trial, either opening the door for one of the most high-profile media trials in British legal history – or killing it before it even began. Harry’s decision to fly in from the US, entering through the front door for maximum press attention, focused global media attention on what could otherwise have been a drab four-day preliminary hearing. Prince Harry’s court appearance in London is reportedly his first public appearance in the United Kingdom since he attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September.
Articles were falsely attributed to “friends,” a family source, palace sources, royal insider, or similar phrases to throw subjects “off the scent” of the true origin, Sherborne said. Tuesday's hearing came just days before the release of a much-anticipated Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan. Judge Barbara Fontaine ruled that Harry's lawyers should provide "clarification" about the offer he says he made, which she added would "assist the parties ... in the attempts about settlement, which I hope are successful". Prince Harry with his wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties two years ago.
His surprise return also comes nearly three months after he publicized stories about his troubled relationship with his dad and his brother in his autobiography, Spare. Harry also released a Netflix documentary,Harry & Meghan, with his wife, Meghan Markle, in December, which included details of their struggles within the royal family. Harry's appearance on Monday is believed to be the first time the 38-year-old royal has been back to the United Kingdom since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September. It's also just over a month ahead of his his father, King Charles III's, coronation on May 6.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Did Get a Coronation Invitation—Via EmailAfter weeks of speculation, the couple’s spokesperson announced that King Charles had invited them to the coronation, but did not say whether they would attend. Speculation about whether Harry and or Meghan will attend the king's coronation ramped up after news broke that the couple had been asked to vacate their U.K. “I hacked, tapped and bugged Liz a number of times,” Burrows said in his earlier statement. "She was a huge earner for me. I could get an itemized phone bill for Liz and Hugh and sell each one for 5,000 pounds (about $6,185), much more than the average price on my menu." And Prince Harry is currently suing the ANL separately for defamation over a 2022 article about his security arrangements.
The memoir is a detailed account of Harry's rift with his family, his decision to leave his senior royal role in 2020 and how he felt growing up as the "spare" to his older brother Prince William, the heir to the throne. In court documents, legal representatives for the Home Office wrote that Ravec never received an offer to fund security from the prince, and that the committee would have "rejected any such offer as a matter of principle." Harry's lawyer spoke of tensions between the prince and the Queen's private secretary, Edward Young. Harry and his family no longer have publicly-funded security since their step back from royal life. The case alleges that unlawful practices were used to get information for stories by the publisher.
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