Prince Harry was unaware that his brother would be mentioned in court papers, according to a source.
The Duke of Sussex is among seven individuals pursuing legal action against the Daily Mail publisher, Associated Newspapers, over alleged privacy violations dating back as far as three decades.
Prince Harry insists he’s not to blame after William and Kate pulled into lawsuit drama: ‘Not responsible’
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However, a source close to Harry told the Telegraph that he was not “personally dragging” Prince William into the lawsuit.
The Duke, they said, had no prior knowledge of the evidence filed as part of the wider claim and was “not responsible for the arguments, evidence gathered and presented in disclosure or comments” made by his lawyer.
The reference to William relates to a 2003 payment, reportedly for details about his Out of Africa-themed 21st birthday celebrations.
Those details were said to have been found among five boxes of “highly significant” invoices provided to Harry’s legal team last week.
David Sherborne, Harry’s lawyer, arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice earlier this year
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GETTYMr Sherborne told the court that while the invoices had not yet been fully examined, “on an initial assessment, they are likely to be highly relevant to the shared case.”
An additional amendment to Harry’s claim referred to records from another private investigator, which included two occupancy checks on the Middleton family’s address and 10 telephone numbers from a “family and friends” list — one of which was the Princess’s mobile.
Mr Sherborne said the Duke would rely on this evidence to support his argument that Associated targeted his friends and associates through unlawful information gathering.
The claimants also include Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Sir Simon Hughes.
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They accuse Associated of unlawful practices, including commissioning private investigators to plant listening devices in cars, “blagging” confidential information, arranging burglaries, and intercepting phone calls.
Associated denies the allegations, describing them as “lurid” and “simply preposterous.”
Prince William has previously tried to avoid becoming involved in legal battles with the press over alleged illegal activity.
But in March 2023, Harry disclosed that his brother had reached a quiet settlement with News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, three years earlier.
The Prince was said to have accepted a “very large sum” — reportedly around £1million — in 2020 after bringing a claim against both The Sun and the now-closed News of the World.