London — Prince Harry told the High Court it was “disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked” so the publisher of the Daily Mail could “make money out of it,” as a high-profile privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited opened in London.
The Duke of Sussex is one of seven claimants — alongside Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, politician Simon Hughes, and actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley — alleging what they describe as a “clear systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” by the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. ANL has strongly denied wrongdoing.
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In written submissions for Harry, barrister David Sherborne said the alleged practices left the prince “paranoid beyond belief,” strained personal relationships and fostered “distrust and suspicion.” He said Harry’s claim centers on 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013, and argued the newspapers used phrases such as “sources” and “friends” to disguise illegally obtained material.
The claimants allege ANL carried out or commissioned unlawful activities including hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, and accessing private phone conversations. Sherborne told the court the conduct spanned “at least two decades,” citing evidence from 1993 to 2011 and, in some instances, as late as 2018. He said documents show journalists and senior executives commissioning and approving unlawfully obtained information, adding: “This was no clean ship.”
ANL’s lawyer, Antony White KC, rejected the allegations, saying in written submissions that at “all material times, the Duke of Sussex’s social circle was and was known to be a good source of leaks” about his private life. White argued Harry had discussed aspects of his personal life publicly and that information was also provided by Palace spokespeople. He said none of the articles now at issue were challenged when they were published and contended the claims were brought too late.
White added that for “almost every article” alleged to be the product of phone hacking or tapping, ANL could call witnesses to show how it was sourced, saying the claimants’ “inferential” case is “met and convincingly rebutted.” He said the “pattern of misconduct” alleged was “simply not made out.”
The case was filed in 2022 after years of phone hacking and privacy litigation across Britain’s tabloid industry. ANL last year failed in a bid to have the claims struck out before trial as time-barred. Harry has separately brought and won claims against other publishers: he was awarded £140,600 in damages from Mirror Group Newspapers in 2023 and settled a case against News Group Newspapers, publisher of the Sun and the defunct News of the World, last January.
Elton John and Furnish followed Monday’s proceedings by live video link, while some co-claimants attended court in person. The trial is expected to last nine weeks.
The hearing continues.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
