Prince Harry could face up to four days of questioning in the witness box as his court case against News Group Newspapers (NGN) heads to an eight-week trial next month.
The Duke of Sussex will make his second High Court appearance, following his case against Mirror Group Newspapers last year.
The trial will see Harry and former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson as the main litigants, after around 40 other claimants reached settlements with NGN.
The case marks another significant legal battle for the fifth-in-line to the throne against British media organisations.
Prince Harry could face up to four days of questioning in the witness box as his court case against News Group Newspapers (NGN) heads to an eight-week trial next month.
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The lawsuit centres on alleged unlawful activities carried out by journalists and private investigators working for NGN’s publications, The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.
The alleged misconduct occurred between 1996 and 2011, according to court documents.
NGN has previously paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of phone-hacking and other unlawful information gathering by the News of the World.
The publisher has consistently rejected any allegations of wrongdoing by staff at The Sun newspaper, and no case involving the tabloid has previously gone to trial.
At a High Court hearing on Tuesday, NGN’s lawyer Anthony Hudson said he would need four days to question Prince Harry about 30 articles allegedly based on unlawfully obtained information.
Harry’s legal representative, David Sherborne, countered that while his client would “relish” four days of testimony against NGN, one and a half days should be sufficient.
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Hudson emphasised that the timing of Harry’s awareness of his case would “require extensive cross-examination,” as NGN argues the prince filed his lawsuit too late.
Harry’s legal representative, David Sherborne, countered that while his client would “relish” four days of testimony against NGN, one and a half days should be sufficient.
The trial will examine both specific claims and broader allegations of wrongdoing by NGN staff, including editors and senior figures.
Speaking at the New York Times Dealbook Summit last week, Prince Harry explained his motivation for the legal action, stating: “I think one of the reasons why I brought the claim … is specifically for truth and accountability.”
NGN’s lawyer Hudson suggested these comments indicated Harry’s intention to turn the trial into a public inquiry.
The media group has previously settled claims with more than 1,300 people over unlawful information gathering by the News of the World.
These settlements have amounted to hundreds of millions of pounds paid to victims of phone-hacking and other illegal activities.
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Prince Harry’s appearance in the upcoming NGN trial follows his historic High Court testimony in June 2023, when he became the first British royal in 130 years to give evidence.
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Prince Harry’s appearance in the upcoming NGN trial follows his historic High Court testimony in June 2023, when he became the first British royal in 130 years to give evidence.
That case, against Mirror Group Newspapers, resulted in “substantial” damages after the court ruled his phones had been hacked with the knowledge of senior editors and executives.
Beyond the NGN litigation, Prince Harry is also pursuing legal action against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
That case, which includes fellow claimant Elton John and five others, is scheduled for trial in early 2026.
