Prince Harry has returned to London, not for a family reunion, but for the final act in his long-running legal war against the British tabloids.
This time, he brought backup in the form of Sir Elton John.
The duo, alongside a star-studded cast of co-claimants including Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, have dragged Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) to the High Court.
As the Australian Financial Review reports, the stakes for the Daily Mail publisher are astronomical, with the legal bill estimated at a staggering £38 million.
Prince Harry, Liz Hurley and Sir Elton John all have a case to make
Skeletons in the closet
The trial, which kicked off on Monday, centers on allegations that would make a Bond villain blush. The claimants argue that ANL commissioned private investigators to execute a decades-long campaign of “unlawful information gathering.”
The BBC reports that the accusations include bugging cars and homes, tapping landlines, and “blagging” … the art of obtaining confidential medical and financial records through deception.
David Sherborne, the barrister leading the charge for the claimants, wasted no time in his opening statement.
According to BBC live coverage of the proceedings, Sherborne told the court that the publisher had “skeletons in their closet” and accused them of failing to run a “clean ship.” He alleges that journalists across the Mail titles knew exactly how these private eyes obtained their scoops… through bugging cars, tapping landlines, and “blagging” confidential records.
Paranoia and violation
For the Duke of Sussex, this is personal.
The Sydney Morning Herald highlights Harry’s witness statement, where he describes the intrusion as “terrifying.” He claims the relentless surveillance made him “paranoid beyond belief” and isolated him from friends whom he wrongly suspected of leaking stories.
For Harry, there has been a deeply personal violation
He blames this culture of intrusion for the “massive strain” on his relationships and links it to the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish provided equally grim testimony.
They expressed a deep sense of violation regarding the alleged theft of medical details surrounding the birth of their son, Zachary. For them, the media didn’t just cross a line; they obliterated it.
The publisher hits back
Associated Newspapers is not taking this lying down.
The Australian Financial Review notes that ANL has categorised the claims as “preposterous smears” and a “conspiracy” fueled by a wealthy group with a vendetta against the press.
The publisher vehemently denies having commissioned any illegal acts. Instead, they suggest the claimants’ information leaked from their own “leaky” social circles rather than through dark arts.
This defence will rely heavily on the idea that the claimants have simply waited too long to sue, arguing that the statute of limitations has passed.
The case was filed in 2022. For Prince Harry and Sir Elton John, this has been going on a long time
The final showdown
This trial marks the third and final case in Harry’s mission to reform the British media. After securing settlements from the publishers of The Mirror and The Sun, he views this battle as the last hurdle.
With a nine-week runtime, we can expect a parade of high-profile witnesses.
Harry takes the stand later this week, and if his previous performances are any indication, he won’t hold back. Whether this crusade changes the media landscape or just enriches a fleet of lawyers remains the only unanswered question.
Main Image: Prince Harry and Sir Elton John