The Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, and four other high-profile individuals have brought legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail, over allegations of unlawful information gathering. The group accuses ANL of hiring private investigators to place listening devices in cars and “blagging” private records. ANL has vehemently denied the allegations, and a judgment is expected at 2pm on Tuesday.
The Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, 41, the second son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the throne, has been a vocal critic of media practices. He stepped back from royal duties in early 2020 and moved to North America with his wife, Meghan Markle. This is the third publisher he has sued over unlawful information gathering, following actions against News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, and Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of The Mirror.
In June 2023, Harry became the first senior royal in over two decades to testify in court, spending nearly eight hours on the stand in his case against MGN. In December 2023, Justice Fancourt ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at MGN in the late 1990s and that Harry’s phone was hacked “to a modest extent.” He was awarded £140,600 in damages after 15 articles were found to be products of unlawful information gathering.
In January 2024, Harry settled his claim against NGN on what would have been the second day of trial, with the publisher apologizing and paying substantial damages. In the ANL case, Harry attended court again, giving evidence and becoming emotional, claiming that his wife’s life had been made “an absolute misery.”
Doreen Lawrence
Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon is a campaigner for justice following the 1993 racist murder of her 18-year-old son, Stephen Lawrence. The Daily Mail, under then-editor Paul Dacre, campaigned to bring the killers to justice, labeling five men as “murderers” on its front page in 1997. In 2012, Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of the murder.
Lady Lawrence took her seat in the House of Lords in 2013. She gave evidence in the ANL trial, claiming the Daily Mail had “pretended” to support her but was only interested in the “credibility of supporting a black family.” Her claims relate to five articles published between 1997 and 2007, and her lawyers allege she was “extensively targeted” by private investigators and ANL.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish
Sir Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a music icon with over 300 million records sold worldwide. He was knighted in 1998 and made a Companion of Honour in 2021. He and his long-term partner David Furnish entered into a civil partnership in 2005 and married in 2014. They have two sons. Both gave evidence via video link during the trial.
Sir Simon Hughes
Sir Simon Hughes, a former Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark from 1983 to 2015, also stood as a candidate for Mayor of London in 2004 and served as deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2010. In 2019, he sued NGN for misuse of private information and breach of confidence, accepting substantial damages in 2021. In the ANL case, he testified that it was “distressing” that the publisher allegedly targeted him using “unlawful means for their own profit.” His claim relates to an alleged incident of unlawful information gathering involving a Mail on Sunday journalist.
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley, known for roles in Austin Powers and Bedazzled, has a history of legal battles with the press. She settled a phone-hacking claim against NGN in February 2019 and received damages from MGN in 2017 for 58 articles linked to illegal activity. In the ANL case, she cried several times while giving evidence, watched by her son Damian Hurley and Prince Harry.
Sadie Frost
Sadie Frost, an actress and film producer, was part of the “Primrose Hill Set” in the 1990s. She was awarded £260,250 in damages in 2015 for phone hacking by MGN, the highest at the time. In the ANL case, she alleges invasions of privacy through phone hacking and tapping of her ex-husband Jude Law’s landline during divorce discussions. She claimed there was a “price on my head” for articles about her in the Daily Mail.
