Prince Harry expected to return to UK as tabloid trial begins
Prince Harry is expected to return to the United Kingdom next week to testify in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publishers of the Daily Mail.
The trip comes amid questions over whether the younger son of King Charles III will see any of his royal family members during the visit.
The Duke of Sussex, along with six other parties, including musician Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers.
The plaintiffs have accused Associated Newspapers of illegal information-gathering practices and claim the publisher hired private investigators who used unlawful means to gather information on them in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including hiring private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside cars and homes and paying police officials for inside information.
Harry is expected to make an appearance on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Lawyers for both sides stood before a judge on Jan. 15 in a pretrial hearing to discuss witness testimony and last-minute amendments to the case.
Associated Newspapers has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The case is Harry's last major court battle with multiple tabloids, whom he has accused of intrusions on his private life.
In 2023, Harry testified in a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers, which eventually reached a settlement with Harry, apologizing for past "unlawful information gathering," according to The Associated Press, and agreeing to cover the duke's legal costs and pay out around 300,000 pounds (approximately $400,000) in damages.
Last January, Harry also reached a settlement in a lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, which apologized for a prior "serious intrusion" into Harry's personal life between 1996 and 2011, paying out "substantial" damages.
Harry currently lives in California with his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children Archie and Lilibet. The couple moved to the U.S. after stepping down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020 and have had a distant relationship with the British royal family ever since.
