Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures have accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” to obtain stories about them. The Duke of Sussex appeared at the High Court in London for the start of the case against Associated Newspapers Ltd, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday.
In a witness statement, Prince Harry described the intrusion as “terrifying” for his loved ones, creating a “massive strain” on his personal relationships. He said it drove him “paranoid beyond belief, isolating me”. The group of claimants also includes Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes.
The claimants’ legal team, led by barrister David Sherborne, alleged unlawful acts included using private investigators to intercept voicemail messages, listening in to live landline calls, and obtaining private information such as itemised phone bills or medical records by deception, known as “blagging”. Sherborne said there was “indisputable evidence” that journalists and senior executives were commissioning and approving the use of unlawfully obtained information.
Associated Newspapers has denied any wrongdoing, describing the claims as “lurid” and “preposterous”. The company’s lawyers argued that the allegations were “simply untrue” and that the legal action resulted from a “coordinated strategy” in which claimants were “recruited and corralled”. The trial is expected to examine activities alleged to have taken place between 1993 and 2011, with some claims extending to 2018.
