\n \n Prince Harry<\/a> arrived at London\u2019s High Court on Monday as he takes on the publisher of the Daily Mail over phone hacking, tapping and a slew of alleged unlawful information gathering practices dating back years.\n <\/p>\n \n The Duke of Sussex and six other household names in Britain sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) in October 2022. Years later, the case has finally gone to trial with Harry, 41, expected to give evidence on Thursday.\n <\/p>\n \n The showdown is the third major legal battle the duke has embarked upon against the British tabloid press in recent years.\n <\/p>\n \n Here\u2019s a reminder of the case and how we got here.\n <\/p>\n \n The group of plaintiffs have accused ANL,<\/a> which publishes titles including the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, of engaging in various types of criminal activity to obtain information about individuals in the group between 1993 to 2011.\n <\/p>\n \n The group claims the illegal information gathering practices involved the alleged hiring of private investigators to plant listening devices in homes and cars and record private calls. The publisher has also denied allegations that it paid corrupt police officials for sensitive information, engaged in impersonation and deception to obtain medical records, and accessed bank accounts and financial transactions through \u201cillicit means and manipulation.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n ANL has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, describing the accusations as \u201clurid\u201d and \u201csimply preposterous.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The stakes are high for both sides with reputations on the line and mounting legal costs estimated to be around \u00a340 million ($53.5 million).\n <\/p>\n \n David Sherborne, representing the group of claimants, began his opening statement on Monday saying that, during the trial, he\u2019ll show that \u201cthere was clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful news gathering at both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n He said ANL\u2019s denials of wrongdoing \u201cwere not true\u201d and they \u201cknew they had skeletons in their closet.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n In written submissions to the court, Sherborne said: \u201cThere is compelling evidence (despite limitations due to the widespread loss of relevant documents) of Associated\u2019s unlawful information gathering activities (and unlawful articles which were published as a result).\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n He continued: \u201cThere can be little doubt that journalists and executives across the Mail titles engaged in or were complicit in the culture of unlawful information gathering that wrecked the lives of so many.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Antony White KC said in written submissions for ANL that \u201cthe claims against Associated have no such foundation.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n He added that the group \u201chave failed to establish that the most serious categories of alleged unlawful information gathering (UIG) \u2013 phone hacking and phone tapping \u2013 took place at Associated at all, and their allegation of burglary to order was struck out by the court.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe allegation that these practices were \u2018habitual and widespread\u2019 at Associated\u2019s titles were simply untrue,\u201d he continued. White also reiterated that the claims were brought too late.\n <\/p>\n \n The challenge from King Charles\u2019 younger son is a joint endeavor with six other notable individuals, including Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, and actress Elizabeth Hurley.\n <\/p>\n \n Over the next nine weeks, several members of the group of claimants \u2013 which also include campaigner Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost and former politician Simon Hughes \u2013 are expected to give evidence.\n <\/p>\n \n Harry is expected to provide his testimony on Thursday, according to a draft trial timetable. It will be the second time he has appeared in the witness box. He previously became the first senior British royal to give evidence on a witness stand in more than 130 years in a different lawsuit in 2023.\n <\/p>\n \n He\u2019s not expected to make any other formal public appearances.\n <\/p>\n \n In Sherborne\u2019s written submissions, the barrister said that the duke\u2019s claims are based on 14 articles authored between 2001 and 2013, primarily written by two journalists, which caused the royal \u201cgreat distress\u201d and had \u201cno meritorious public interest.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Sherborne continued in the submission: \u201cIt is evident from the articles and the evidence of the Duke of Sussex that the targeting of him has had a profoundly distressing effect.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The duke\u2019s legal team went on to quote him saying it was \u201c\u2018disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just for the Mail to make money out of it,\u2019 \u2018intrusion (that) was terrifying\u2019 for loved ones, creating a \u2018massive strain\u2019 on personal relationships while invidiously \u2018creating distrust and suspicion\u2019 and \u2018driving me paranoid beyond belief, isolating me.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Prince Harry sat towards the back of the packed courtroom, appearing to be in good spirits and exchanging smiles with a member of his legal team. Hurley and her son, Damian, and Frost and Hughes were also present.\n <\/p>\n \n Specific to the duke\u2019s allegations, ANL\u2019s written submissions said it \u201cstrongly denies\u201d any voicemail interception or other nefarious information collection and that his social circle \u201cwas known to be a good source of leaks or disclosure of information to the media about what he got up to in his private life.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Yes, it would be fair to say that Harry is known to have a challenging relationship with Britain\u2019s tabloid press and has launched legal action<\/a> against some of the country\u2019s biggest media groups over the years.\n <\/p>\n \n Harry said the \u201ctoxic\u201d British press was one of the reasons<\/a> behind his decision with wife, Meghan, to step back from royal duties and move to the US.\n <\/p>\n \n Damian Tambini, an expert in media and communications regulation and policy at the London School of Economics, said the fact that the duke has repeatedly traveled to London to pursue the case shows his commitment<\/a> to changing the industry\u2019s practices.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s clearly a priority for personal reasons. We might speculate that this goes all the way back to the way his mother was treated by the newspapers in the UK,\u201d he told Reuters. \u201cHe seems to be motivated by a lot more than money, and he\u2019s shown that he\u2019s not so interested in simply being compensated for his losses \u2026 He\u2019s actually trying to, along with many of the other complainants, effect change in the newspapers.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n In previous showdowns against the tabloid press, Harry also successfully launched legal challenges against Rupert Murdoch\u2019s News Group Newspapers<\/a> (NGN) and Mirror Group Newspapers<\/a> (MGN), after which he received apologies, admission of wrongdoing and damages.\n <\/p>\n \n However, ANL has not been plagued by the phone-hacking scandal<\/a> that has loomed over British media for more than a decade.\n <\/p>\n \n Accusations that journalists were routinely hacking into the phones of politicians, celebrities and other high-profile individuals rocked the country in 2011. The scandal forced the closure of Britain\u2019s then-top-selling paper, News of the World, and led to a wide-ranging public inquiry into press standards.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cUntil now, relative to other newspapers in the market, it (The Daily Mail) has escaped broadly the worst of the censure for phone hacking, invading privacy and broadly breaching media ethics and the law. But this trial, driven by some very determined complainants, could potentially breach the dam,\u201d Tambini said.\n <\/p>\n \n Not all of the duke\u2019s cases have focused on press intrusion. Last year, Harry lost a challenge<\/a> against the UK Home Office over the removal of his taxpayer-funded security arrangements after he stepped down from royal duties. However, the government has since launched a fresh review of the duke\u2019s access to security when visiting the country, according to multiple British media outlets.\n <\/p>\n \n Harry was back in Britain in the fall when he reunited with his father<\/a>, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months, sharing afternoon tea at Clarence House. The duke described his father as \u201cgreat\u201d as he later attended a reception for his Invictus Games Foundation. The pair are now reportedly in regular contact.\n <\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n When was Harry\u2019s last trip to the UK, and will he meet King Charles?
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