PRINCE HARRY ARRIVES IN UK ‘CONFIDENT AND READY’ FOR HIGH COURT TRIAL
The Duke of Sussex has arrived in Britain feeling “confident and ready” for his High Court legal battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
The Duke has joined forces with a number of high-profile figures – including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Baroness Lawrence – in his claim against Associated Newspapers.
The nine-week trial, set to start on Monday, will hear from the seven claimants who have accused Daily Mail journalists of hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars and homes, “blagging” private records, phone hacking, paying police for information and even commissioning burglaries.
The Duke is expected to stay in the UK until Friday, but has no plans to see the King, who is in Scotland.
He is due to give evidence on Thursday and is prepared for the challenge, according to a source. “Confident and ready are the words I’d use to describe his current state of mind,” the source told The Telegraph.
The Duke’s claim concerns 14 articles that are alleged to have been obtained unlawfully.
Among them are multiple stories about his relationships with former girlfriends Chelsy Davy, Cressida Bonas and Laura Gerard-Leigh, and an article concerning his and Prince William’s anger over the publication of a photograph of their dying mother in the Italian media.
The claim also includes details of a party being planned by the two brothers after Princess Diana’s memorial concert, and the Duke’s relationship with Tiggy Legge-Bourke, his childhood nanny.
The litigation has been forecast to cost £38.8m. A source said the Duke was “fortunate” to have the money and power to take on the newspapers, and was “not scared” of the slings and arrows aimed at him as a result.
Associated Newspapers was expected to accuse Prince Harry’s lawyers of dishonesty, fraud and conspiracy in its legal team’s opening statement on Monday.
David Sherborne, for the claimants, told the court on Thursday that the publisher planned to make “exceptionally serious” allegations that were “wholly objectionable”.
He said he would object to Associated’s skeleton argument being made public unless the “multiple express allegations of serious wrongdoing by some of the (claimants’) legal representatives” were removed.
“The allegations… are exceptionally serious: of fraud, dishonesty and professional misconduct,” he said in written submissions. “The pleading of fraud or deceit is a serious step, with significance and reputational ramifications going well beyond the claim.”
They include suggestions that solicitors were involved in a “camouflage scheme” to conceal when two of the claimants, Sir Simon Hughes and Sadie Frost, first knew they had a potential claim.
The law prevents claims being brought more than six years after the claimant became aware of an allegation.
Mr Justice Nicklin has required Associated to plead the allegation should it wish to take the matter forward.
Elsewhere, key witness Gavin Burrows, the private investigator whose disputed evidence was instrumental in persuading many of the claimants to sue, is expected to claim his signature was forged.
According to documents lodged with the court by Associated, the evidence-gathering techniques used by Prince Harry’s legal team included huge cash payments – some made weekly, some promised for life – alleged threats, and blackmail.
Potential witnesses are said to have been tracked down and repeatedly harassed before being offered money to get on board.
‘Dragon slayer’
Meanwhile, the Duke will be hoping to emulate past successes, having declared himself a dragon slayer after the High Court found evidence of “widespread and habitual” use of phone hacking at the Mirror Group Newspapers in December 2023.
He also hailed a “monumental victory” after accepting an 11th-hour settlement from News Group Newspapers in January last year.
In his first witness statement, dated February 2023, the Duke said that if an influential newspaper company such as Associated Newspapers could successfully evade justice “the whole country is doomed”.
He also railed against what he claimed was the “unchecked power, influence and criminality” of the media group.
Associated Newspapers is a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust, Lord Rothermere’s holding company, which has agreed to acquire The Telegraph for £500m. The proposed takeover is expected to face regulatory scrutiny over the coming weeks.
The Duke’s personal crusade against the tabloid press has marked one of the defining themes of his life since splitting from the Royal family.
Over the course of his various legal battles, he has disclosed many private emails between palace staff and has made digs at senior aides he did not see eye to eye with.
The Duke has claimed that a “secret agreement” was struck between the royal household and Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group over phone hacking in order to “smooth the way” for Camilla to become Queen Consort.
He also revealed that his brother, Prince William, had secretly accepted a large payment from the publisher in compensation for his phone being hacked, and named both the Prince and the Princess of Wales in his claims.
In December 2024, the Duke joked that he had become a “professional” litigant, but insisted he planned to “retire” soon.
When the Associated Press trial is over, he will be focused on “looking forward” regardless of the outcome, with a busy schedule of events planned for the rest of the year that he is “really excited about”.
They include trips to support his patronages, returning to the UK ahead of 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham and the annual WellChild Awards.
Despite a decision over his right to taxpayer-funded security still pending, he will probably fly back to London more frequently because of the Invictus Games.
“He doesn’t like being on Zoom when everyone else is in the room,” a source commented.
2026-01-18T12:55:41Z