Prince Harry arrived at the High Court in London this morning as proceedings commence in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail.
The Duke of Sussex is one of seven prominent figures bringing the case, alongside Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes.
The group claims ANL either directly carried out or commissioned illegal practices, including installing listening devices in vehicles, obtaining private records through deception, and intercepting telephone conversations.
ANL has rejected all allegations against it.
Prince Harry arrived at the High Court in London this morning as proceedings commence in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail.
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All seven claimants are expected to give evidence during the proceedings, with Prince Harry scheduled to take the witness stand on Thursday.
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish will provide their testimony via remote link rather than appearing in person.
The publisher's legal team will also present witnesses, with former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre among those set to be called.
Court proceedings will begin with opening statements from both parties before moving through each claimant's individual case with supporting witnesses.
ANL will then have the opportunity to present its defence.
The Duke of Sussex is one of seven prominent figures bringing the case, alongside Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes.
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The legal action was initially lodged in October 2022, with numerous preparatory hearings taking place in the intervening period.
During a hearing in October last year, David Sherborne, the barrister representing the claimants, alleged that a private investigator may have obtained details about the Prince of Wales's 21st birthday celebration through deception for a Daily Mail article.
ANL's counsel Antony White KC argued in written submissions that the claimants' lawyers had put forward "wholly unparticularised" claims of unlawful information gathering that should be excluded from trial.
It also emerged in November 2024 that Baroness Lawrence first learned about the potential lawsuit through a text message from Prince Harry.
All seven claimants are expected to give evidence during the proceedings, with Prince Harry scheduled to take the witness stand on Thursday.
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The trial is anticipated to run for approximately nine weeks.
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The pre-trial phase has involved extensive disputes between the parties regarding document disclosure and numerous legal arguments.
Mr Justice Nicklin, who is presiding over the case, has issued several significant rulings during the pre-trial phase.
In November 2023, he rejected ANL's application to have the claims struck out entirely, concluding in a 95-page judgment that the publisher had "not been able to deliver a 'knockout blow' to the claims of any of these claimants".
However, the judge did bar an allegation that ANL had commissioned "burglary to order" from proceeding to trial, determining that even if proven, such claims would not assist in resolving the case fairly.
A further ruling in November 2023 initially restricted access to ledgers ANL had submitted to the Leveson Inquiry, but ministers authorised their disclosure in March 2024.
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