Prince Harry returns to UK for 1st day of tabloid court case
Prince Harry is back in the U.K. and was seen arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the first day of a case against publisher Associated Newspapers, Limited, the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The Duke of Sussex and six other claimants, including musician Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, are suing Associated Newspapers, the publisher of The Daily Mail, for illegal information gathering.
The plaintiffs argue that the newspaper group paid private investigators in the 1990s and early 2000s to bug their cars and homes, listen in on phone calls and bribe police for sensitive information.
Associated Newspapers is denying all allegations from the plaintiffs, calling them "preposterous" and says the claims are "unsubstantiated and highly defamatory" and "based on no credible evidence."
Harry is expected to testify in court later this week. His lawyers laid out their argument Monday morning, citing 14 articles in which they contend the newspapers used unlawful information gathering.
Many of the articles contain details of the prince's relationship with former girlfriend Chelsea Davy. One of the articles contained "private and intimate conversations with his brother Prince William, and feelings, as to a statement regarding images of their dying mother which had been published in the press."
Harry's lawyers argue that the only way the papers could have obtained this kind of information was through illegal means, while lawyers for Associated Newspapers maintain the information was gathered legitimately.
"The Duke of Sussex has been caused great distress by each and every episode of unlawful information gathering against him by Associated or on its behalf," his lawyer David Sherborne said in written submissions to the court, adding that he had become "paranoid beyond belief."
Robert Jobson, an ABC News royals contributor, weighed in on the case's significance on “Good Morning America” Monday.
"There is a lot riding on this case for Harry -- money and reputation," Jobson said. "He feels he has to continue with this fight, otherwise he would have not taken on all the main media outlets and the Associated Newspapers are fighting all the way."
Harry previously said his strained relationship with the British press is one of the reasons he and his wife Meghan stepped down as senior members of the British royal family and moved to California in 2020.
"The king, when he met Harry and William, made it very clear that he thought taking on the British press was a suicide mission, which he feels could damage the relationship between press and monarchy," Jobson said.
Since Harry's step back, his relationship with his family has also fractured. He and his older brother, Prince William, haven't been publicly seen together since their father King Charles III's coronation in 2023. Harry and the king briefly reunited last September.
The Duke of Sussex, however, has also expressed an interest to reconcile with his family.
"I would love reconciliation with my family," Harry told the BBC in May 2025. "There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. As I said, life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has, you know."
Harry is currently visiting London and this week, both King Charles and William are in Scotland, making a meeting between the family members likely difficult. Buckingham Palace has yet to respond to an ABC News request for comment.
Harry and over 100 claimants previously won a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers in 2023. Mirror Group apologized to Harry for past "unlawful information gathering" and was ordered to pay damages of £140,600 (about $179,658).
In a statement at the time, Harry called the ruling "vindicating and affirming."
"I've been told that slaying dragons will get you burned. But in light of today's victory and the importance of what is doing, what is needed for a free and honest press, it is a worthwhile price to pay. The mission continues," Harry said at the time.
News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, reached a settlement with the Duke of Sussex last January. News Group apologized for a prior "serious intrusion" into Harry's personal life between 1996 and 2011 and agreed to pay out "substantial" damages.
