Prince Harry finally gets his day in court for phone-hacking case

A month ago, Prince Harry attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla – but his wife Meghan Markle stayed at home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The prince arrived at Westminster Abbey alone, and was assigned to sit two rows behind his brother, and then he left alone.

The Duke of Sussex has been seeking an apology from his family, according to his television interviews in January.

A 2004 Daily Mirror article about the Duke of Sussex’s then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was “obtained legitimately”, a former journalist and news editor has told the High Court:

Some 33 articles, dated between 1996 and 2009, have been selected for examination during the trial of Harry’s contested claim against MGN.

The company has told the trial in London that it denies that 28 out of the 33 articles involved unlawful information gathering and that it was not admitted for the remaining five articles.

The publisher claims the stories came from a range of sources, including information disclosed by royal households or other royals, freelance journalists and news agencies as well as confidential sources with “extensive” royal contacts.

These are the 33 articles:

The duke is no stranger to fighting legal cases. Here are his other battles:

Harry’s case, alongside those of former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, actor Michael Turner – known professionally as Michael Le Vell – and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman are being considered as “test cases”.

MGN is contesting the claims over allegations its journalists were linked to voicemail interception, securing information through deception and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.

The publisher says board members have denied knowledge of such activities and claims there is “no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception” in any of the four claims chosen as “representative” cases.

Harry is due to enter the witness box this week as the trial focuses on his individual case.

Prince Harry’s other civil litigation claims include challenges to the government over his security, libel accusations against The Mail on Sunday and allegations of unlawful information gathering against Associated Newspapers Limited:

A lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers argued as the case opened last month that a “very substantial proportion” of the articles involved in the case were at “a breathtaking level of triviality”, saying there was “simply no evidence” for many of the claims of phone hacking:

On the first day of the trial last month, a lawyers for MGN, Andrew Green KC, said it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about Harry’s activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

“Otherwise, the specified allegations are denied, or in a few cases not admitted,” he added.

Mr Green said there was a reference to a payment record for £75 in February 2004.

He continued: “It is admitted that this represented an instruction to engage in unlawful information gathering, and MGN unreservedly apologises and accepts that the Duke of Sussex is entitled to appropriate compensation for it.

“MGN does not know what information this related to, although it clearly had some connection with his conduct at the nightclub.”

The barrister said that there was a People article published in February 2004 “giving the recollection of a woman Harry spent time with” at the club.

Mr Green added: “The Duke of Sussex notably does not claim in relation to this article, so it is not alleged that this instruction led to the publication of his private information.

“The fee paid, £75, suggests little work was involved.”

When the duke’s case began last month, lawyers for the publisher of the Daily Mirror newspaper apologised “unreservedly” to him for one instance of unlawful information gathering and said the company accepted he was entitled to “appropriate compensation”:

Welcome to our live coverage of Prince Harry’s case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

The Duke of Sussex is due to arrive at the High Court in London tomorrow and is due to enter the witness box on Tuesday, when he will face cross-examination from MGN’s lawyers.

Harry is suing the company for damages, claiming journalists carried out or authorised methods of gaining information, including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception and use of private investigators.

His claim is being heard alongside three other “representative” claims during a trial that is due to last six to seven weeks.

MGN contests the claims and has either denied or not admitted each of them. The publisher also argues some of the claimants have brought their legal action too late.