The Mail on Sunday’s former royal editor has told the High Court that the Duke of Sussex invited her “personally right into his inner circle”.
Katie Nicholl, 48, described how she met the Prince in April 2003 at Kensington Roof Gardens, where he was hosting a private party, and invited her to join him and his friends.
The journalist was giving evidence in defence of a privacy claim brought by the Duke, Sir Elton John, Baroness Lawrence and others against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.
Prince Harry told the court in January that Ms Nicholl was not a member of his social circle, adding that his friends knew “exactly who she was and what her capabilities were”.
“Ms Nicholl made a career out of turning up at these events, making it look, or seem as though, she had all of these sources so that she could write stories and write, I think, four, maybe five books,” he said.
The Duke said he could “vaguely” remember the party at Kensington Roof Gardens. But said he was “sure I didn’t invite her in”.
However, Ms Nicholl told the court on Thursday: “Prince Harry was standing in the doorway of a private room smoking a cigarette.
“He said ‘hello, would you like to join my party?’ I said, ‘yes please, because the one I’m at is pretty dull’.
“So he invited me in, personally, right into his inner circle.”
Challenged by David Sherborne, the Duke’s barrister, who alleged she had simply “managed to gain” her way in, she added: “I absolutely remember that moment.
“It’s not all the time you get invited into a party by one of the most famous princes in the world.
“I remember it very clearly. He not only invited me in, he introduced me to his friends and I stayed there for the whole evening.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
