The Duke of Sussex and six other high-profile figures have launched a legal action against Associated Newspapers Ltd, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, accusing the company of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” to obtain stories about them.
In a witness statement submitted to the High Court, Prince Harry described the alleged intrusion as “terrifying” for his loved ones, creating a “massive strain” on his personal relationships and driving him “paranoid beyond belief”. He attended the trial alongside other claimants including actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes.
The claimants’ barrister, David Sherborne, opened the case by alleging that journalists and executives across the Mail titles commissioned and approved the use of unlawfully obtained information over two decades, from 1993 to 2011 and beyond. He accused the publisher of having “skeletons in their closet” and said claims of innocence during the Leveson inquiry were untrue.
Associated Newspapers has denied all wrongdoing, describing the allegations as “lurid” and “preposterous”. In written submissions, its lawyers argued that the claims were part of a “coordinated strategy” in which prominent claimants were “recruited and corralled”. The trial continues.
