Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, appeared in a London courtroom on Wednesday to give testimony in a high-profile privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, reports Baltimore Chronicle via ABC. Harry, who requested to be addressed as Prince Harry in court, was called as the first witness in the trial, which began on Monday. Although he had been scheduled to testify on Thursday, he was summoned to the stand a day early.
Sources close to the Duke of Sussex told reporters that he had been preparing for this testimony for three years and was fully ready to provide his account. Harry is among seven plaintiffs, including musician Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, who allege that Associated Newspapers engaged in unlawful information-gathering practices. The claims assert that in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the publisher hired private investigators who allegedly used illegal methods to collect private information. These methods reportedly included secretly installing listening devices in homes and vehicles, as well as paying law enforcement officers for confidential information.
Associated Newspapers has denied all allegations, describing the claims as “preposterous,” “unsubstantiated,” and “highly defamatory,” asserting that there is no credible evidence supporting the accusations.
Harry traveled from his home in California, where he resides with his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. The couple moved to the United States in 2020 after stepping back from their senior royal roles, seeking a private life outside the United Kingdom.
The trial is expected to examine in detail the practices of tabloid journalism and private investigation in the UK, as multiple celebrities seek accountability for the alleged invasions of privacy that occurred over two decades ago.
Earlier we wrote about Michigan I-196 crash: nearly 100 vehicles, dozens of semi-trucks involved in lake-effect snow pileup.
