Prince Harry appears at High Court for privacy trial against Daily Mail publisher

Prince Harry is one of seven high-profile individuals suing Associated Newspapers Limited for illegal information gathering.

Associated Newspapers Limited is the publishing group for The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.

The trial started today and is expected to last for nine weeks at London’s High Court.

Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost are among the group suing the publisher.

According to Hello Magazine, the group alleges Associated Newspapers Limited had a practice of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering.”  

They allege that the publishing group participated in phone hacking, tapping into landline calls, and ‘blagging’ personal information among a raft of unlawful activities, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Hello Magazine reports that actress Sadie Frost alleges that she suffered invasions of her privacy through phone hacking and the tapping of her ex-husband Jude Law’s landline when he was discussing details of their divorce settlement.

Prince Harry became “paranoid beyond belief” with a “massive strain” left on his personal relationships due to alleged targeting by the publisher, Hello Magazine reports. 

The prince has previously spoken up about the role the media played in his decision to leave the UK.

He also expressed deep concerns about returning to the UK with Meghan Markle, citing ongoing safety risks due to media scrutiny.