Prince Harry, Elton John sue Daily Mail over alleged illegal practices

The trial in which Prince Harry, musician Elton John, and others accuse the Daily Mail of illegal practices began at the High Court in London, Reuters and AFP reported.

The younger son of King Charles, the pop music star and his husband David Furnish, actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence, and a former British MP have filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the paper, alleging that it hired private investigators who committed criminal acts between 1993 and 2011, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Among other things, the publication is accused of systematic illegal practices, including unauthorized access to voicemail messages on mobile phones, interception of landline calls, and obtaining confidential information such as medical or flight details through deception, a method known as “blagging.”

Former and current journalists holding senior positions, including editors of national newspapers, are implicated.

Associated Newspapers has denied the allegations, calling them “absurd smears,” and claims that the information leaked from the claimants’ social circles, from friends or associates who regularly provided information to the press.

Prince Harry is expected to testify in court for only the second time in his life, making him the first member of the British royal family to do so in 130 years. He previously testified against the Daily Mirror in 2023 and won that case over illegal phone hacking. His hostility toward the press is well known, AFP notes; he believes paparazzi were responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Two key legal issues are central to the case, Reuters explains. First, whether the private investigators hired by the tabloid used illegal methods. Second, whether the claimants had long known they had grounds to sue, which could make their legal action time-barred.

Associated claims the case is part of a long-running “Daily Mail Plan.”

On the other hand, lawyers for the claimants say Associated spent more than £3 million over 20 years on private investigators and that, despite the destruction of invoices and the absence of many documents, the allegations can be supported by circumstantial evidence.