Prince Harry has arrived in the UK as he prepares for his High Court case against Associated Newspapers Limited.
The Duke of Sussex is one of seven prominent figures pursuing legal action against the company.
His fellow claimants include music legend Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Liberal Democrat politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actors Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley.
The group is bringing claims against ANL, accusing it of carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars or “blagging” private records.
Prince Harry reportedly returned to the UK on Sunday ahead of his trial against Associated Newspapers Limited
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ANL firmly denies the allegations, calling them “preposterous”.
ANL is the third publisher to face legal action from the duke, after he previously sued News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, and Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which published The Mirror, over alleged unlawful information gathering.
In June 2023, Harry became the first senior royal in more than two decades to appear personally in court proceedings, as he faced nearly eight hours of questioning in his claim against MGN.
Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in December that year that phone hacking became “widespread and habitual” at MGN titles in the late 1990s, and that it hacked Harry’s phone “to a modest extent”.
He awarded the duke £140,600 in damages after finding 15 articles about Harry were the product of unlawful information gathering.
The current lawsuit also alleges that the publisher hired private investigators to install covert listening devices inside vehicles belonging to the claimants.
The trial will be the third time a publisher has faced legal action from the prince
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A pre-trial hearing on last week addressed several unresolved matters before the case gets underway. Lawyers representing the claimants objected to certain language in ANL’s proposed opening submissions, specifically concerning what has been described as a “scheme of camouflage”.
The High Court heard that ANL’s legal team has levelled serious accusations of dishonesty and fraud against members of the claimants’ legal representatives.
David Sherborne, acting for the claimants, stated in written submissions: “The allegations made by the defendants are exceptionally serious, of fraud, dishonesty and professional misconduct.”
He argued these claims “cannot be introduced by assertion in opening written submissions and are not simply commentary on pleaded issues.”
Sherborne further contended that the defendant’s allegations extended beyond merely questioning witness credibility, asserting that ANL “explicitly seeks findings” and claims actions amounted to “a calculated attempt to withhold the true position from the court.”
Antony White KC, representing ANL, maintained the submissions simply challenged the truthfulness of certain witnesses, telling the court: “It is not necessary to plead a case if the other side’s witnesses are not telling the truth.”
Mr Justice Nicklin determined that ANL must revise its trial opening note, ruling that the alleged camouflage scheme “goes far further than an attack on credibility” and fairness required the defendant to amend its defence.