A landmark legal battle pitting some of Britain's most prominent figures against one of its biggest newspaper publishers is set to begin at the High Court in London on Monday. The Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John, and six other high-profile claimants are suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, over allegations of widespread unlawful information gathering.
The Claimants and Their Allegations
The group, which also includes Sir Elton's husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, alleges that ANL engaged in or commissioned a range of illegal activities. These claims include hiring private investigators to plant listening devices in cars, illegally accessing private phone records through 'blagging', and intercepting confidential telephone conversations.
ANL has robustly denied all allegations, describing them as "preposterous". The trial, before Mr Justice Nicklin, is scheduled to last for nine weeks.
Prince Harry's Crusade Against the Press
For Prince Harry, this case represents the latest front in his very public campaign to reform the British media. The 41-year-old Duke, who stepped back as a working royal in 2020 and now lives in North America with his wife Meghan, has become a prolific litigant. ANL is the third major newspaper publisher he has taken to court.
In December 2023, he won £140,600 in damages from Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) after a judge ruled the publisher had hacked his phone "to a modest extent". Then, in January 2025, he settled a separate claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun, which issued an apology and agreed to pay substantial damages. Former Labour deputy leader Lord Watson praised Harry's "bravery and astonishing courage" in holding the tabloid press to account.
Other High-Profile Figures in the Fray
The other claimants bring their own histories of conflict with the press. Baroness Lawrence, a peer renowned for her justice campaign after the racist murder of her son Stephen in 1993, said she felt "disbelief" when Prince Harry first contacted her via text message about a potential claim. The court heard litigation was contemplated "almost immediately" after she received his text.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish, who have been partners for decades and married in 2014, are expected to give their evidence remotely. Sir Simon Hughes, the former Lib Dem MP, previously settled a claim against NGN in 2021. Both Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost have prior settlements with newspaper groups over phone hacking; Frost was awarded a record £260,250 from MGN in 2015.
What to Expect from the Nine-Week Trial
The trial will see all claimants, including Prince Harry who is scheduled for the witness box on Thursday, give evidence. ANL's lawyers will also call witnesses, including former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre. The case will open with statements from both sides, followed by the presentation of each claimant's case with supporting witnesses, before ANL presents its defence. A final judgment will be delivered in writing at a later date.
The road to trial has been paved with preliminary hearings and legal skirmishes. In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's attempt to have the claims thrown out, stating the publisher had not delivered a "knockout blow". However, in October 2025, he ruled that an allegation ANL commissioned "burglary to order" could not proceed to trial. A significant development came in March 2024 when the government permitted the use of confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to ANL's payments to private investigators.
This case promises to be one of the most significant media law trials in recent years, scrutinising the methods of a major newspaper publisher and testing the legal resolve of a coalition of famous faces determined to challenge press practices they deem unlawful.
