Forget Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial, a new star-studded court case has begun and it features big names like actress Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Elton John and even Prince Harry – who was photographed arriving at London’s High Court earlier today.
The Duke of Sussex – who is just one of multiple A-listers accusing the publisher of The Daily Mail newspaper of unlawful information gathering – wasn’t expected to attend the preliminary hearing but rocked up earlier today in a suit and tie alongside his lawyer David Sherborne.
While Associated Newspapers deny the allegations against the group – which include hiring private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside people’s cars and homes, listening in on private telephone calls and obtaining medical information by deception - the preliminary hearing began today and is expected to last four days before a judge determines whether or not the case will go any further.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have long been open about their distrust of British tabloid newspapers and in April 2020, the pair released a strongly worded letter to The Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror and Express informing the publications that they would no longer be engaging with them.
Their letter stated, ‘It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print—even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason. When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded.’
The Duke of Sussex has also brought about a similar lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers - the publishers behind The Times and The Sun - accusing them of phone hacking between 1996 and 2011, the former of which is set to go to trial in May. Presumably the Duke is expecting a similar outcome at all three trials, hence his appearance today in order to find out the details first-hand.
The royal also has another libel case against Associated Newspapers over an article about his security arrangements in the Mail on Sunday under the headline ‘How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then - just minutes after the story broke - his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute.’
In a preliminary hearing, a judge agreed that said headline was ‘defamatory’, but rejected a claim that the article has accused Prince Harry of lying.