Prince Harry has arrived at the High Court in London to give evidence in his phone hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the British tabloid the Daily Mirror.
The Duke was expected in court yesterday, on the first day of the trial, but failed to turn up as he arrived in the UK late after flying from California Sunday night, where he had been celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.
Prince Harry, and multiple other claimants, are suing Mirror Newspapers, alleging information about them was illegally obtained to generate stories. The claimants believe journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and The People illegally accessed their voicemails to listen in on messages. This is a civil case rather than a criminal case. When Prince Harry gives evidence in the trial on Wednesday, he will be the first senior royal to be cross-examined in court since the 19th century.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 06: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives to give evidence at the Mirror Group Phone hacking trial at the Rolls Building at High Court on June 06, 2023 in London, England. Prince Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers related to allegations of unlawful information gathering in previous decades. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)
Mirror Group Newspapers has previously admitted that its journalists were involved in phone hacking and has paid out £100M ($126M) in settlements and legal costs to victims, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper group has denied that senior executives were aware of the unlawful activity. The company also denies hacking Prince Harry’s phone but has apologized to the Duke of Sussex for using a private investigator to illegally gather evidence about him at a nightclub in 2004.
In his witness statement, Prince Harry told the High Court that unlawful activity at Mirror Group Newspapers contributed to “huge distress” and “paranoia.”
