Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures have accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of engaging in “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” to obtain stories about them. The Duke of Sussex, who attended the High Court in London for the start of the trial, described the intrusion as “terrifying” for his loved ones, creating a “massive strain” on his personal relationships and leaving him “paranoid beyond belief”.
The claimants, who also include Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, allege that Associated Newspapers Ltd, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, used private investigators to intercept voicemails, listen in to live landline calls, and obtain private information such as itemised phone bills and medical records by deception.
Opening the case, David Sherborne, the claimants’ barrister, said the alleged unlawful acts involved journalists from “every significant editorial desk” over two decades. He claimed there was “indisputable evidence” that journalists and senior executives commissioned and approved the use of unlawfully obtained information. Associated Newspapers has denied any wrongdoing, describing the claims as “lurid” and “preposterous”.
Sherborne also alleged that the newspaper group had “skeletons in their closet” and that its denials of unlawful information gathering during the Leveson inquiry were untrue. He criticised the destruction of a “huge amount” of material, including emails before 2004, which Associated attributed to a company deletion policy. The claimants allege the activities took place between 1993 and 2011, and in some cases continued beyond 2018.
In written submissions, Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers, said the allegation of widespread unlawful practices was “simply untrue” and that the legal action resulted from a “coordinated strategy” in which prominent claimants were “recruited and corralled”. The trial continues.
