Prince Harry has arrived at London’s High Court to give evidence in his phone hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers, publisher of the British newspaper Daily Mirror.
The Duke was expected to appear in court tomorrow on the first day of the trial, but failed to arrive late in the UK on Sunday night after flying in from California, where he was celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.
Prince Harry, and several other claimants, are suing the Mirror newspapers, alleging that information about them was obtained illegally in order to fabricate stories. The claimants believe that journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People illegally accessed his voicemail to listen to messages. This is not a criminal case but a civil case. When Prince Harry testifies at the trial on Wednesday, he will be the first senior royal to testify in court since the 19th century.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 06: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives to testify at the Mirror Group phone hacking trial at the Rolls Building at the High Court on June 06, 2023 in London, England. Prince Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers over allegations of illegal information gathering over the past decades. (Photo by Kate Green / Getty Images)
According to The Guardian, Mirror Group Newspapers has previously admitted that its journalists were involved in phone hacking and has paid £100M ($126M) to victims.
The newspaper group has denied that senior executives were aware of illegal 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 illegal activity at Mirror Group newspapers contributed to “enormous distress” and “paranoia”.