Prince Harry and Elton John Appear in U.K Court to Back Tabloid Privacy Violation Case

Prince Harry’s lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers approached the four-day hearing stage this week, with the royal making an unexpected appearance at the U.K. High Court on Monday morning.

The lawsuit, filed in October 2022, alleges that the tabloid publisher organized “breaking and entry into private property” to the extent of bugging homes, cars, and phone devices through the use of private investigators. Associated Newspapers is also being sued by Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost, who also appeared in court.

Former politician Simon Hughes and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon were not present.

“They were the victim of numerous unlawful acts carried out by the defendant, or by those acting on the instructions of its newspapers, The Daily Mail and The Mail On Sunday,” attorney David Sherborne stated in a court document obtained by Associated Press.

The collection of suits cites “misuse of private information,” rendering them “victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy by Associated Newspapers,” according to a press release obtained by Variety last year. The oldest allegations cited date back to 1993, with more recent claims occurring as recently as 2018.

The four-day hearing will address a request from Associated Newspapers to have the case tossed out on the grounds that the limitation period to begin court proceedings has expired. The publisher has also established a backup plan if needed, planning to request that elements of the group’s claims be dismissed as violations of the Leveson Inquiry, which aimed to public inquiry about the culture, practices, and ethics of the British press following.

The claims, the publisher asserts, rely on confidential information already surrendered during a 2012 probe as part of the inquiry, specifically a segment examining media lawbreaking. “It would be surprising indeed for any reasonably informed member of the public, let alone a figure in the public eye, to have been unaware of these matters,” attorney Adrian Beltrami shared, according to Associated Press.

From Rolling Stone US.