A Daily Mail journalist told the High Court on Wednesday that Prince Harry contacting Baroness Doreen Lawrence in January 2022 “changed everything” regarding her relationship with the newspaper.
Stephen Wright, a former senior Daily Mail journalist who helped lead the paper’s long-running campaign following the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, described the development as “very sad”, the court heard.
Mr Wright claimed the Duke of Sussex contacted Baroness Lawrence to tell her that “information” had emerged which she would want to know about.
Baroness Lawrence said in a BBC interview in September 2025 that she was “floored” by what she learned.
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Mr Wright said he had previously enjoyed a strong relationship with Baroness Lawrence and her legal team and that she had been “very grateful” for the Mail’s support, adding that the position changed after what he described as “the unfortunate events of 2022”.
The journalist said that, within days, Baroness Lawrence met with solicitors representing the claimants, including David Sherborne and Anjlee Sangani, before later joining group legal action issued against Associated Newspapers Limited in October 2022.
Mr Wright is one of several journalists whose reporting methods are being scrutinised in the case.
Baroness Lawrence is among seven claimants, including the Duke of Sussex and Sir Elton John, bringing allegations against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Prince Harry ‘changed everything’ for Doreen Lawrence after ‘unfortunate events of 2022’, High Court told
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The claimants allege unlawful information gathering, including practices such as phone hacking and blagging.
Associated Newspapers has denied wrongdoing and has dismissed the allegations as “preposterous”, insisting its journalism was lawfully sourced.
Mr Wright strongly rejected claims he engaged in phone hacking or other unlawful activity to obtain information about Baroness Lawrence, telling the court the allegations were “absolute cobblers”.
He added that the proceedings had “completely devastated” him.
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Baroness Doreen Lawrence is the mother of Stephen Lawrence who was stabbed to death in London in 1993 | PADuring evidence, Mr Wright criticised those representing the claimants, describing them as a “mob of shysters, spivs and useful idiots” and alleging they had tried to “fit me up” over what he claimed to be “despicable allegations”.
The court heard Mr Justice Nicklin intervened to warn Mr Wright against personal attacks and to focus on answering questions.
The High Court has heard that Baroness Lawrence’s claim includes allegations that several articles about her published between 1997 and 2007 were based on information obtained unlawfully, which is denied by the publisher and disputed by Mr Wright.
Associated Newspapers 'strongly denies' that there was any unlawful information gathering, including voicemail interception, directed at Prince Harry or his associates | PAThe court has not yet reached any findings, and the allegations are contested.
Baroness Lawrence has demanded a public apology from the Mail, saying the newspaper has "added to the trauma" her family has endured.
The trial began on Monday, 19 January and is expected to run for several weeks, with proceedings continuing into March. A written judgment is expected at a later date.