Prince Harry’s legal team returned to court in London on Tuesday, just days after he lost a legal challenge against the government regarding his security arrangements. This appearance follows an emotional interview in which he stated that his father, King Charles, is no longer communicating with him.
Harry, along with singer Elton John and five other prominent British figures, is suing Associated Newspapers (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid, alleging widespread unlawful behavior.
The group accuses ANL of serious privacy breaches spanning three decades, including phone tapping, home bugging, and obtaining medical records through deception. They allege that current national newspaper editors and other senior press figures were involved in these activities.
ANL, which publishes the Daily Mail, stated that the two-day hearing beginning on Tuesday would focus on issues related to the disclosure of further material in advance of a full trial expected next year.
According to the lawyer representing the seven claimants, the disclosure to date has revealed “widespread use of unlawful information gathering across the titles by journalists and various desks, but the approach to disclosure has allowed only a partial picture of the wrongdoing.”
ANL’s lawyers argued that the claimants had not provided any disclosure to substantiate their allegations and stated in court filings that the claimants had given “no further particulars … of the allegations of hacking, tapping, blagging or perjury.”
Devastated
Harry, Charles’ younger son, recently lost an appeal against the government’s decision to remove his right to automatic police protection while in Britain, a decision he said left him “devastated.”
In a BBC interview, Harry stated that while he desires reconciliation with his family, his father is not speaking to him due to the security issue.
King Charles is currently undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, said he did not know “how much longer my father has.”
Since relocating to the United States, Harry and his wife Meghan have criticized the royal family in television documentaries, an interview with Oprah Winfrey, and in Harry’s biography “Spare,” accusing senior aides of colluding with tabloids to smear him.
Following Friday’s ruling, Harry issued a statement saying that the royal establishment had “preyed” on his mother, Princess Diana, openly campaigned to remove his security, and “continue to incite hatred towards me, my wife and even our children.”
Buckingham Palace has not commented on Harry’s statement or interview, stating only that all issues surrounding the prince’s police protection had been thoroughly examined by the courts.
King Charles and other senior royals made public appearances on Monday at commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Royal officials stated that they did not want anything to detract from the commemorations.
Harry stepped down from royal duties in March 2020. Since then, he has successfully sued Mirror Group Newspapers and settled a claim against Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper group after it admitted unlawful behavior, including intruding into Diana’s private life.
