Prince Harry court – live: Duke of Sussex stokes political storm by slamming ‘rock bottom’ government

The Duke of Sussex has stoked a political storm by slamming the government and the press as at “rock bottom” as he gives evidence in his landmark case against the Daily Mirror’s publisher at the High Court in London.

In his 55-page witness statement, Prince Harry targeted the tabloid press more broadly when he questioned: “How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?”

The Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles – which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

The duke had been expected to arrive at court on Monday but is now testifying on Tuesday, becoming the first prince to appear in court for 130 years.

This comes as it has been revealed Harry is battling on another front as his US visa is set to be challenged in court after he admitted illegal drug use in his memoir Spare.

Key Points

• Prince Harry arrives at High Court

• Harry due to give evidence at High Court in landmark case

• Harry battles on two fronts as US visa challenged over drug use

• Alleged row with William sowed ‘seeds of discord’ between brothers, court hears

• Prince Harry accused of wasting court time after no-show at court today

• ‘Simply no evidence’ for many claims, trial told

Harry criticises British journalism and government as at ‘rock bottom’

12:42 , Tara Cobham

Concluding his witness statement, Harry criticises the state of British journalism and the present Government as both being at “rock bottom”.

He writes: “In my view, in order to save journalism as a profession, journalists need to expose those people in the media that have stolen or highjacked the privileges and powers of the press, and have used illegal or unlawful means for their own gain and agendas.

“In the same vein, I am bringing this claim, not because I hate the tabloid press or even necessarily a section of it, but in order to properly hold the people who have hijacked those privileges, which come with being a member of the press, to account for their actions.

“This has become a huge problem of which I have a unique perspective and experience perhaps, having had a front row seat to it. Because they have showed no willingness to change, I feel that I need to make sure that this unlawful behaviour is exposed, because obviously I don’t want anybody else going through the same thing that I’ve been going through on a personal level.

“But also, on a national level as, at the moment, our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our Government, both of which I believe are at rock bottom.

“Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the Government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.”

Harry asked about school parade story quoting Eton spokesperson

16:36 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been questioned about a three-line Mirror article in 2003 about him leading cadets at an Eton parade, which the barrister for Mirror Group Newspapers said stemmed from a St James Palace press release.

The MGN barrister said the Press Association news agency had reported about Harry leading the tattoo on the same day as the press release and had quoted an Eton spokesperson.

The court heard from Harry that he also complained about a Mirror article published on the same day about the same story.

He said he had brought a claim for damages over the articles “based on the legal advice that I have been given”.

In his written witness statement, he said of the journalist who wrote the second cadet parade story “that at least one of his bylined articles has previously been admitted by MGN to have been the product of unlawful information-gathering”.

Live: Outside London court where Prince Harry gave evidence on UK tabloids

16:24 , Andy Gregory

Our video team has this live footage from outside the court where Prince Harry has been giving evidence in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers – becoming the first royal to undergo cross-examination in court in 130 years.

Barrister suggests Harry must ‘maintain focus’

16:13 , Tara Cobham

A barrister has suggested Prince Harry must “maintain focus” as she speaks of how “tough” cross-examination is but also of how significant it is to a case.

Samantha Woodham, Barrister at 4PB, explained: “It will be crucial in Prince Harry’s case for him to succeed in respect of the particular allegations he is making, so maintain focus on those.”

She described cross-examination as “tough” and said: “Barristers often say that the height of their case is the moment immediately before their client takes the stand, because if weaknesses in a case are going to be exposed, it will be during cross-examination.”

‘False information’ put in articles ‘to put people off scent’, says Harry

15:58 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex claimed that “a lot of false information” was put into articles “to put people like myself off the scent”.

He told the court this was done to “cover up the true unlawful means” and that while some elements were true, this was “clouded, shrouded” by the false information.

Harry rejects suggestion royal aide fed information to press

15:57 , Tara Cobham

Under continuing cross-examination, the Duke of Sussex rejected a suggestion that a royal aide was behind information given to the press about his gap year experience in Australia.

Harry was questioned by Mr Green about an article entitled “Harry is ready to quit Oz” published in the Mirror in September 2003.

Mr Green said it appeared that information about Harry “watching TV and videos” – which the duke said in his written statement was a bid to avoid camera crews – came from aide Mark Dyer.

“It doesn’t appear that way,” the duke said, later adding: “I don’t accept that Mr Dyer was freely speaking to the press.”

Mr Green said to Harry that “the information that you are alleging came from voicemail interception or unlawful information-gathering … in fact came from your minders”.

Harry said he saw similarities in reports by other newspapers, adding that the coverage showed: “The level of interest and fascination with my life even when I’m in the middle of the Australian outback.”

Harry’s memoir shows ‘many routes’ for information about him to leak to media, says Mirror lawyer

15:18 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been pressed on a passage in his autobiography Spare which the Mirror publisher’s barrister suggested showed “there have always been many different routes” for information about him to find its way to the media.

In cross-examination, Andrew Green KC asked the duke about a section in the book in which he said “a school mate must have told someone who told someone” a story about him having a haircut which was subsequently reported by the press.

Harry told the court: “As a young man in my teenage years, I never suspected my phone was being hacked or those around me being hacked ... I could never have imagined it.”

He added that some of his book was written “with hindsight” and “based on my memories of that time in my life, firstly as a young man, secondly as a soldier in the army and thirdly as a husband and father”.

But Mr Green said the duke’s reference in his memoir to a school mate “reflects the reality that, because of who you are and were, there have always been many different routes by which information about you ... is and has been communicated to the press”.

Harry responded: “Now, some many years later, it seems that probably wasn’t the case and sadly a lot of those friends who I became paranoid with at the time, they are no longer friends.”

Harry denies entering ‘realms of total speculation’

15:11 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has denied wandering into “the realms of total speculation” as he was grilled over an article he claimed was likely obtained through unlawful means by The Mirror – despite the story being reported by the Press Association news agency the previous day, which quoted a St James’s Palace spokesperson.

The duke said he was not aware that the information about his thumb in a November 2000 story titled: “Snap: Hary breaks thumb like William” had been reported by PA the previous day.

He was then asked whether he had expressed concerns to other media outlets that reported the same story at the time, including the BBC, to which he responded he had not because unlawful information-gathering was “not systemic” at those titles.

But Harry said he believed information in the Mirror article which was obtained through unlawful means included a paragraph stating that doctors had told him he could not play football for a few weeks, alleging that this had affected him as a “young man at school” who could not now “trust the doctors” there.

Asked if he believed details in the Mirror article by its then-royal editor Jane Kerr, who is due to give evidence on Wednesday, resulted from unlawful information-gathering, Harry replied: “I believe it was, either probably herself or she got someone else to do her dirty work for her.”

Pressed on whose phone he believes was hacked to find out the information, he said: “The doctor’s? I am not sure.”

Asked by barrister Andrew Green whether he was “not in the realms of total speculation”, Harry replied: “No, I do not believe so.”

Prince Harry suggests tabloid rumours James Hewitt is his father ‘were to oust him from royal family’

14:54 , Andy Gregory

Earlier today, Prince Harry suggested to the court that tabloid rumours his biological father was James Hewitt were an attempt at ousting him from the Royal Family.

In his witness statement, Harry referred to an article in The People from 2002 with the headline “Plot to rob the DNA of Harry” which reported a bid to steal a sample of the duke’s DNA to check his parentage.

Diana had a five-year affair with cavalry officer Major James Hewitt between 1986 and 1991, with the princess publicly confessing to the relationship during her controversial BBC Panorama interview in 1995.

Harry described the stories about the rumours as “cruel”, saying he was 18 at the time of the article and had lost his mother just a few years earlier.

“They were hurtful, mean and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories,” he said. “Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the royal family?” My colleague Joe Middleton has the full report:

Harry claims tabloid James Hewitt rumours ‘were plan to oust him from royal family’

No evidence palace did not ‘freely’ give information for glandular fever article, says MGN lawyer

14:41 , Andy Gregory

Royal spokespeople “rarely ever commented on private matters”, with public statements “only preserved for major events”, Prince Harry has told the court.

The Duke of Sussex made the comments amid questioning over a March 2002 article in the Daily Mirror about him contracting glandular fever, headlined, “Harry’s sick with kissing disease”.

Mirror Group Newspapers barrister Andrew Green said the article, which reported the diagnosis came before the duke’s annual ski trip with his father and brother, contains quotes from a palace spokeswoman about the duke taking doctors’ advice.

The MGN barrister said the story was covered in other newspapers, adding there was no evidence that information from the palace “was not put out freely”.

In his written witness statement, the duke said: “I do not believe that the palace put this information out freely.” In court, Mr Green said Harry was inviting the court to assume the article came from “nefarious activity” by a journalist.

Harry said he was “very suspicious” about information in the article, adding it was “highly personal” and “distressing”.

Harry grilled over article about he and William’s rock climbing trip

14:26 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry is now being questioned about an article which reported that he and his brother were going rock climbing rather than attending a gala for the late Queen Mother.

MGN lawyer Andrew Green KC asked Harry if it was his case that came from unlawful voicemail interception, and asked whose phone the duke believed was hacked in order to get that information – to which Harry replied that “it could have been anyone, from myself, my brother” or two other people.

Asked which information he thought had been obtained unlawfully, Harry said: “There’s quite a lot of aspects, quotes and information in there, not to mention a large part of the reason we were going rock climbing 270 miles away was to get away from press intrusion.”

Harry said he was but that it was “impossible to believe” MGN’s denial that one if its suppliers was involved in any unlawful information-gathering given the level of interest in him as well as in the royal family, and how “desperate journalists were for anything royal”.

Mr Green then referred to a Daily Mail article about the same rock climbing trip, published two days before the Mirror article, which said Buckingham Palace had confirmed the princes’ absence from the gala.

Harry said the palace would have answered “in response to a question, which one might be suspicious about, I suggest”.

Mr Green then put to Harry that a Mail On Sunday article published the day before the Mirror one was “in substance, the very same private information that you are complaining about in the Daily Mirror, isn’t it?”, to which the duke replied: “It is one element of it, yes.”

Given these two articles in the days prior to the Mirror story, the barrister asked whether the duke still questioned how the information was in the public domain, to which Harry replied: “Yes, I do.”

The duke said that, based on his understanding of how the press operate, just because information was already in the public domain did not mean there was not “an attempt to take the story further”, adding: “A lot of work would have been done on people’s mobile phones within those two days.”

High Court back in session

14:08 , Andy Gregory

The High Court is now back in session after breaking for lunch, with the Duke of Sussex returning to the witness stand as Mirror Group Newspapers make their way through news articles submitted by his lawyers as evidence.

Stay out of politics, furious Tory MPs tell ‘unwise’ and ‘embarrassing’ Harry

13:55 , Andy Gregory

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Senior Tory MPs have told The Independent that Prince Harry should stay out of British politics after his extraordinary attack on the “rock bottom” government and media.

Former minister Andrea Jenkyns said: “If Harry has got such contempt for the British government and the British media then it’s a good job he lives in America. He shouldn’t be intervening in British politics – that’s not his role.”

Henry Smith, a member of the Tory Common Sense Group, said: “I feel sorry for hardworking royals that Harry continues to cause so much embarrassment,” adding: “Sussex is disappointed with its absent Duke.”

The MP told The Independent: “It’s very unwise of him to stray into British political comment – but if he wants to he should renounce his title and stand for election. Sussex is disappointed with its absent Duke.”

Another senior Tory MP said Harry had broken the “golden rule” of commenting on politics, saying royals “do not comment on politicians and politicians do not comment on royals”.

Quotes from Harry’s memoir put to him in court as he is quizzed on ‘public interest’ in royal drug-taking

13:44 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry was quizzed over whether he agreed there was a “public interest” in an heir to the throne taking illegal drugs.

Pointing to a Sunday Mirror article published in January 2002, headlined “Harry took drugs”, Mirror Group Newspapers lawyer Andrew Green said it was the News Of The World newspaper that “broke the story” about the duke smoking cannabis, to which Harry said: “The untrue story, yes.”

Mr Green said the News Of The World had contacted the duke’s father’s office about the story, and “the palace” had “cooperated” with the coverage via “spin doctor” Mark Bolland. When asked whether this was the source of information in the Sunday Mirror, Harry said: “I wasn’t the one that wrote the article so you will have to asked the journalists.”

Extracts from Harry’s memoir Spare were read out in court by the MGN barrister, in which the duke complained of there being a “putrid strategy” to “spin me right under the bus” over the News Of The World piece.

In court, the duke said the News Of The World story was a “red rag to a bull” for newspapers, with editors asking “why didn’t you get this” and saying “make this into an exclusive for ourselves”.

Harry said the incident was “less about what’s in the story itself” but “the activity behind the scenes”, referring to the alleged use of private investigators to secure information. “The Sunday Mirror was on the back foot and therefore did everything they could,” the duke claimed.

Mr Green then asked Harry if he accepted it was a matter of public interest someone in line to the throne was allegedly taking drugs. The duke replied that there was a difference “between public interest and what interests the public”, adding of the story: “Every element of it was distressing”.

Harry says drug stories left him ‘extremely worried’ about being expelled from Eton

13:35 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has revealed that he was “extremely worried” he would be expelled from Eton as a result of articles claiming he had been at parties involving illegal drugs.

Referring to a story headlined, “Harry’s Cocaine Ecstasy and GHB Parties”,the Duke of Sussex said in his witness statement: “This article, along with the [News of the World] coverage, had a huge impact on my life.

“Eton had a zero drugs policy in place, and I was extremely worried I was going to be expelled.”

Discussing a January 2002 article, Harry said: “What’s notable to me in this article when reading it now are the quotes attributed to my father, including that he was ‘worried sick’ and ‘hugely relieved’ when I told him I had only used cannabis.

“My father didn’t make any direct comment to the press, a statement was made by the palace in response to the News Of The World story. This was handled by a tight, small team internally, so it is not clear to me where the defendant’s journalists could possibly have obtained these quotes from.”

He added: “These articles were also written at a time when there had been an agreement between the press and the royal family, following the death of my mother, that my brother and I should be able to go through our education without constant scrutiny and interruption.

“It seemed to me there was never any let up in the press coverage of every detail of my childhood, by the defendant’s journalists and others.”

Prince Harry: ‘Shocking’ articles saw me singled out as ‘p***y’ at school and in military

13:27 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex said he was singled out as a “p***y” by his peers following press reports of his injuries during his time at school and Sandhurst.

In his witness statement, Harry said an article in the Sunday Mirror from November 2001, which covered an injury the duke had received while playing polo and medical advice that he should stop playing rugby, was “shocking”.

The duke said: “I find it shocking that the article reveals such specific, detailed and private medical information including the advice that my doctors had given me, especially as this is not the kind of information I was freely revealing to anyone, especially not my class mates.

“I suffered injuries, just like everyone else that was playing a lot of sport at school, but it was only my injuries that were being splashed across national newspapers, nobody else in my class was enduring this treatment.

“I wasn’t reading these stories, but others at school were and I was treated differently as a result. This happened at school and later when I was at Sandhurst.

“I was often singled out for being a ‘sick note’ or a ‘p***y’ because articles like this made routine injuries seem like such a big deal.”

Police and Government ‘scared to hold press accountable'

13:12 , Tara Cobham

Harry made a general comment about the power of the press and claimed the police and Government were “scared to hold them accountable”.

He said in his witness statement: “My view is how can anybody possibly trust a media organisation, that enjoys the liberties of free press, when their own legal people and Board covers up the truth?

“When they have the powers that they have, and where even the police and the government are scared to hold them accountable or seek justice against them, they can truly believe they are above the law. And if they’re above the law, then it’s the general public that suffer. It’s really that simple.”

The duke also criticised the large number of journalists, whose articles formed the basis of his complaint, who were not appearing at the Hight Court.

Harry said in his statement: “Although I understand that they are not obliged to come and give evidence, I find it absolutely appalling that these people refuse to do so or subject themselves to cross examination especially as I have been forced to relive a horrific period in my life in order to prepare this witness statement and will be only too pleased to subject myself to cross examination in Court.

“Their cowardice speaks volumes, and I don’t understand how they are allowed to hide.”

Harry ‘disgusted’ when shown mother’s letters to Michael Barrymore

13:11 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex said in his witness statement that he was “shocked, disgusted and appalled” when he was shown three handwritten letters from his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, to entertainer Michael Barrymore.

He said: “They are dated 23 March, 25 April and 2 June 1997 respectively and convey my mother’s concerns for Mr Barrymore’s well-being and kindly offering him a shoulder to cry on.”

The court previously heard that Diana and Mr Barrymore had private meetings while the entertainer was “struggling” due to factors including treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

The court was also previously told that former Mirror editor Piers Morgan referred to hearing rumours about the meetings between Diana and Mr Barrymore in his book The Insider.

In his written evidence, the duke said that it was “safe to assume” that his mother and Mr Barrymore would have been exchanging voicemails about their private meetings.

Harry said: “The thought of Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother’s private and sensitive messages, in the same way as they have me, and then having given her a ‘nightmare time’ three months prior to her death in Paris, makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour.”

Harry describes ‘barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan'

13:00 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, Harry attacked Piers Morgan who left Good Morning Britain for saying he did not believe claims made by the Duchess of Sussex during her and Harry’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.

The duke alleged Mr Morgan, the former editor of the Daily Mirror, had been intimidating him and his wife since he launched legal proceedings against the publisher of the Mirror newspaper.

Harry said in his statement: “Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my Mirror Group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan, who was the editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, presumably in retaliation and in the hope that I will back down, before being able to hold him properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards both me and my mother during his editorship.”

‘Vast majority’ result of some unlawful activity, believes Harry

12:58 , Tara Cobham

The duke told the court his understanding is that there have been a “huge number” of private investigator invoices uncovered from around the time of articles that appeared, and said he believed the “vast majority” of stories that appeared were the result of some unlawful activity.

He said he understood that the “competitiveness of newspapers” at the time meant journalists were told “to go and find a different version of that story” or an exclusive angle.

Asked whether he was basing his complaints about MGN articles on invoices, he said: “My understanding is that during this period the hacking was done on burner phones so there is no call data and most of the evidence has been destroyed, so I have little to go on.”

MGN journalists used unlawful methods to get ‘exclusive’ angles on existing stories - Harry

12:56 , Tara Cobham

In response to a number of questions from Andrew Green KC about why Harry has complained of articles in MGN titles when the same information had previously been put into the public domain by other media outlets, the duke said his understanding was that MGN journalists used unlawful methods to get “exclusive” angles on existing stories or to move the story on in some way.

Answering one question, he said: “You would have to ask the journalists themselves how they got this.” He also said he understood one of the companies used by MGN was “regularly used and connected to phone hacking”.

The duke said his understanding came from his legal team or “through legal paperwork”, including private investigator invoices, he had seen.

He said in some instances he had been shown it was “not the invoices themselves but the company behind the invoices”. Asked further about invoice evidence, Harry said: “Again, that is a question for my legal team, I can only go on what I know.”

Mr Green at one point asked the duke if his legal team had prepared his witness statement, shown him it, and he had “simply signed it”, to which Harry replied: “Absolutely not.”

He added that private investigator invoices from around the time of articles were “highly suspicious”, adding: “As well as missed calls and other dropped calls before and after and around the time of these articles themselves.”

Who is James Hewitt, the officer who had an affair with Princess Diana?

12:50 , Tara Cobham

As Prince Harry attends court in another privacy case, this time brought against the Mirror Group, every aspect of modern royal drama has been under additional scrutiny.

This includes those surrounding the royal family – past and present – such as James Hewitt.

Military man Major James Hewitt was embroiled in one of the biggest royal scandals of the last century, when he had an affair with the Princess of Wales, Diana, during her marriage to Prince Charles.

Well-known to those who lived through the press frenzy of the era, Diana’s and Hewitt’s affair hit all the headlines – especially after the affair was confirmed by the princess herself in her BBC Panorama interview.

But may not know much else about Hewitt and how he came to be caught up in a royal drama.

Jade Bremner reports.

James Hewitt, the officer who had an affair with Princess Diana

Duke answers questions on Daily Mirror 3am section article

12:46 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex answered questions in relation to a Daily Mirror 3am section article published in September 2000 about Harry’s visit to a gastropub in Fulham, London, to mark his birthday.

Harry said it was “my understanding” that “the 3am section of the Mirror has quite a lot of evidence against them of unlawful activity”. “I have no idea how this article and the elements of this article made their way into the newspaper,” the duke said.

Andrew Green suggested that an agency photographer heard about him about being in the pub or that information could have come from its owner celebrity chef Ed Baines.

Harry said the photographer “could have been there before I got there”, later adding he imagined the chef would have been “quite busy” working.

The duke later said of the story: “It is shortly after my 16th birthday and I was hoping to have a private lunch with friends and somehow a photographer found me and somehow a story ended up in the newspaper about it.”

He said he remembered having “to leave place like that when I was occasionally out and about wanting to have some form of a life”. The duke added that he remembered “leaving a pub, restaurant, night club and being confronted by photographers”. He earlier said he did not walk on the street because “I get recognised”.

Duke suggests stories on James Hewitt rumours aimed at ousting him from royal family

12:36 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex has suggested newspaper stories about rumours his father was Diana, Princess of Wales’ former lover James Hewitt were aimed at ousting him from the royal family.

In his witness statement, Harry referred to an article in The People from 2002 with the headline “Plot to rob the DNA of Harry” which reported a bid to steal a sample of the duke’s DNA to check his parentage.

“Numerous newspapers had reported a rumour that my biological father was James Hewitt, a man my mother had a relationship with after I was born,” Harry said. “At the time of this article and others similar to it, I wasn’t actually aware that my mother hadn’t met Major Hewitt until after I was born.”

He said he learnt of this timeline in 2014 but that this was common knowledge amongst the defendant’s journalists.

“At the time, when I was 18 years old and had lost my mother just six years earlier, stories such as this felt very damaging and very real to me,” the duke said.

“They were hurtful, mean and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories.

“Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the royal family?”

Andrew Green puts questions on parents' divorce to Harry

12:25 , Tara Cobham

Andrew Green, amid questioning the Duke of Sussex about a September 1996 Daily Mirror article on Harry’s feelings around his parents’ divorce, put it to the duke that his mother had already spoken publicly about the split.

“I don’t believe she talked about it, I believe she answered questions,” Harry said.

Mr Green said there had been reporting by the Press Association some two months earlier about the duke’s feelings towards the divorce.

The duke said previous reporting could be a “red rag to a bull for a journalist that was looking… to take the story further”.

Read all 55 pages of Prince Harry’s phone-hacking witness statement in full

12:14 , Tara Cobham

Giving evidence in his ongoing case against the Daily Mirror’s publisher at London’s High Court on Tuesday morning, Prince Harry has slammed the press with a damning witness statement.

In the 55-page long document, available to read in full below, the Duke of Sussex said that the alleged unlawful actions of journalists from The Mirror Group “affected every area of my life”, questioning “How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?”

Eleanor Noyce reports:

Read all 55 pages of Prince Harry’s phone-hacking witness statement in full

Sketch of Prince Harry in witness box released

12:11 , Tara Cobham

A sketch of Prince Harry in the witness box at the High Court in London on Tuesday has been released.

Andrew Green KC can be seen cross-examining the Duke of Sussex.

Watch live outside London court where Harry is giving evidence on tabloid press

12:05 , Tara Cobham

Watch live outside the High Court in London, where Prince Harry is giving evidence slamming the tabloid press.

Live: Outside London court where Prince Harry gave evidence on tabloid press

Government and press both ‘at rock bottom’, says Prince Harry

12:02 , Tara Cobham

Prince Harry has claimed that the UK government is at “rock bottom” in an extraordinary intervention into politics during his High Court case against a newspaper.

The Duke of Sussex used a witness statement in the case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged phone hacking to lash out at the standard of government.

Harry blamed the tabloids for “inciting hatred and harassment” in his private life – claiming he was cast as a “playboy prince” and a “thicko” when he was younger.

Accusing the government of being too “scared” of the press, he said: “Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.”

Adam Forrest reports:

Government and press both ‘at rock bottom’, says Prince Harry

Chelsy Davy’s fears for Harry’s safety story is ‘so violating’

12:01 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex described a 2007 story in The People about his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy’s fears for his safety over his proposed military deployment to Iraq as “so violating”.

He said he believed journalists had listened to his and Miss Davy’s private messages, saying: “This article once more shows it’s not my career and professional life that the defendant’s journalists were interested in, but very private, raw emotions between me and my partner.

“It’s so violating.”

Harry laughs as asked to ‘raise his voice but not in anger’ in court

11:59 , Tara Cobham

As the judge returned to court after a short break, the duke’s barrister David Sherborne said he’d been asked on behalf of a number of people in court and watching proceedings remotely if Harry could “raise his voice”.

Harry then laughed as Andrew Green KC, for MGN, joked: “I hope not raise it in anger.”

Harry rejects lap dance rumours

11:58 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex promised his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy in 2006 that he was not given a lap dance at the Spearmint Rhino club, he said in his witness statement.

Referring to a story in The People in April 2006 which said Miss Davy had gone “berserk” and slammed the phone down on Harry over the night out, the duke said: “I don’t think Chelsy did go mad about me going there.

“We did speak about it over the phone, but I promised her that I hadn’t had a lap dance and stayed with the three other cadets that had girlfriends.”

The duke said he believed journalists had access to one of their phone records and “put two and two together to make a story”.

'18 years old is so young to feel constantly suspicious of everyone around you’

11:56 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex has said he now sees “how much of my life was wasted on this paranoia” which he attributes to the actions of MGN.

Harry said in his witness statement that articles which claimed to have comments from people close to him “contributed to the general feeling of paranoia that I was so used to living with, a feeling of not being able to trust anybody”.

He continued: “It’s bad enough at any age, but looking back, 18 years old is so young to feel constantly suspicious of everyone around you.”

The duke added that at different points he “doubted the loyalty” of people around him including his former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and former royal equerry Mark Dyer.

He continued: “It’s only now, realising what the defendant’s journalists were doing and how they were getting their information, that I can see how much of my life was wasted on this paranoia.

“I’ve always heard people refer to my mother as paranoid, but she wasn’t.

“She was fearful of what was actually happening to her and now I know that I was the same.”

Mr Green questions duke about ‘Diana so sad on Harry’s big day’ article

11:54 , Tara Cobham

Mr Green questioned the duke about a Daily Mirror article publisher in September 1996 entitled “Diana so sad on Harry’s big day”.

The court heard that Harry has complained about the article containing details of his feelings regarding the divorce of his parents and the ill health of a family friend.

The MGN barrister said the duke was first issued with a mobile phone when he went to Eton in 1998, putting it to Harry that the 1996 article could not have involved phone hacking.

Harry replied: “That’s incorrect. My security at school had a separate room with a land line.”

He said “most Sunday nights”, after being dropped off by his mother “the first thing we would do is to use the phone to ring her… in floods of tears”.

Harry also said it could have been his mother who was hacked, but Mr Green replied “that’s just speculation you’ve come up with now”.

Mr Green said the article reported that Harry at the time was “believed to be taking the royal divorce badly”, with the duke replying: “Like most children I think, yes”.

The barrister said such information was not saying anything that was not “pretty obvious”.

The duke said there was “no legitimacy” in putting such information in the newspaper, adding that “the methods in which it was obtained seem incredibly suspicious”.

Andrew Green probes Harry on claims MGN contributed to paranoia

11:51 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex faced questions from Mr Green about claims in his witness statement that MGN’s alleged intrusion into his life contributed to “a huge amount of paranoia”.

Mr Green asked Harry how he had such feelings if he was not aware of articles published in relation to him at the time.

The Duke said he would be “speculating” if he said which articles he had read and which he had not.

Harry added: “In my experience, the vast majority of the quotes were attributed to a pal, a friend, a source, an onlooker, which actually creates more suspicion”.

The duke said he started to re-examine articles when he “realised information had been unlawfully obtained”.

Harry addresses accusations of lashing out at photographer

11:47 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex described an incident with a paparazzi photographer in October 2004.

Harry, then 20, was accused at the time of lashing out at a photographer in a scuffle outside a nightclub and photos of the incident appeared in the press.

Harry said: “This was a particularly challenging period of my youth. I had just turned 20, and like most 20 year-olds, I wanted to go out and socialise. However, everywhere I went, the paparazzi seemed to turn up…”

He added: “As I reached the car, I could hear taunting. I was being egged on for a reaction, knowing I’d been out and had a few drinks.

“A camera hit me across my nose as I was opening the door, I turned, grabbed the nearest camera to me and shoved it backwards.”

Harry said he was taken back to Clarence House afterwards and then “on to see a doctor”.

The duke said “everyone” in the family include his father, now the King, was sympathetic.

“Everyone in the family, including my father, was sympathetic to the position I was in, there was no respite, never an ‘off’ moment when I was allowed to go out with my friends without the intrusion and harassment.”

Duke writes about impact on relationship with then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy

11:46 , Tara Cobham

In his written witness statement, Harry references a story from November 2007 which appeared in the Irish edition of the Sunday Mirror and reported details of the duke’s relationship with his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

Harry wrote: “It reported that Chelsy and I had a ‘secret meeting’ where I had ‘begged her for a second chance’.”

He went on to say: “These kinds of articles made me feel as though my relationship with Chelsy was always set to be doomed.

“We couldn’t even meet in private or have arguments over the telephone without the defendant somehow learning these details and publishing them for the whole country to see.

“Again, it was just that feeling of being under surveillance all the time.

“I believe Chelsy found this even more difficult to deal with when she lived in England.”

The Duke in his witness statement also described a story in the Mirror in 2005, in which it was claimed his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was “furious and had given me a ‘tongue-lashing down the phone’ following allegations that I had been flirting with a brunette” at a party.

Harry said: “I had been immature, I hadn’t really thought about my actions and I had made a stupid decision – and my mistakes were being played out publicly.”

He said Chelsy was extremely guarded about their relationship and a lot of their long-distance relationship was conducted over the telephone.

“Every time these kinds of stories were published, there was a strain put on our relationship, we started to distrust everyone around us,” he said.

“In hindsight, knowing the extent to which MGN journalists were targeting us and intercepting our communications, we probably lost friends needlessly and put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be secretive and deal with problems without support, out of the sense of paranoia that articles like this created.”

‘Every single article has caused me distress,’ Harry tells Andrew Green

11:43 , Tara Cobham

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, has asked the duke: “Is it realistic, when you have been the subject of so much press intrusion by so many press, both domestic and international, to attribute specific distress to a particular article from 20 years ago, which you may not have seen at the time?”

Harry replied: “As I said earlier, it isn’t a specific article, it is all of the articles.”

He added: “Every single article has caused me distress,” to which Mr Green then asked if each individual article had caused him distress.

Harry replied: “Yes, without question.”

Mr Green then asked Harry about part of his case which states that he was caused particular distress “because he is a very private person” and was in the public eye at a young age.

Harry said: “I believe that as a child, every single one of these articles played an important role in my growing up.”

However, he added that he could not confirm whether he remembered reading specific articles at the time they were published, adding that there were “millions” of articles “that have been written about me since age 12”.

Mr Green asked Harry about part of his case that alleges articles “caused him to be paranoid and to distrust those around him”, and whether he was referring to specific MGN articles or “the general effect of all of the articles” about him.

Harry said: “Yes, because … it is 20 years ago and I simply can’t other than speculate whether I saw these articles at the time.

“I certainly saw a lot of articles at the time and was made aware … unfortunately, by the behaviour and reaction of my inner circle.”

The duke added that when information he had only told to a few members of his inner circle was made public, “your circle of friends starts to shrink”.

Harry speaks on 2003 article alleging row between him and his brother

11:41 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex referred to a 2003 article detailing an alleged row between him and his brother William, now the Prince of Wales, over their mother’s former butler, Paul Burrell.

Harry said he had not wanted “our disagreement” about how to handle the situation “splashed across the newspapers”.

He said he would have used the phrase “two-face s***” as reported and believed this was lifted directly from his voicemail.

One of the articles put before the trial is a December 2003 report from The People, headlined: “Wills… Seeing Burrell is only way to stop him selling more Diana secrets. Harry no… Burrell’s a…”.

Harry said: “The article accurately sets out the position that my brother was open to fixing a meeting with Paul to discuss his ongoing exposes about our mother, however I had made up my mind about the kind of person I thought Paul was and was firmly against meeting him at this point in my life.”

He added: “Both my brother and I had very strong feelings about how indiscrete Paul had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother’s possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her,” the duke said.

“We firmly believed that she would have expected some privacy in death, especially from someone she had trusted, and we were so upset at the way he was behaving – I didn’t want to hear his reasons for it.”

Harry continued: “A ‘senior royal source’ is quoted within the article, reflecting my exact private feelings including that I was “dead against any meeting” and that a meeting would be “pandering to Burrell’s attention-seeking and self-interest”.

“I also would have used the phrase “two-face s***”, as is reported and believe this could have been lifted directly from a voicemail I had left.”

Harry ‘physically sick’ at eight private investigator payments relating to Diana

11:36 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex said in his written evidence that he felt “physically sick” to learn there were eight payments to private investigators in relation to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The duke said that there were 135 separate payments related to him, and a further 154 for his associates.

He continued: “I’m shocked and appalled at the sheer volume of payments made by MGN titles to private investigators, who are known in this litigation to have used voicemail interception and other unlawful information-gathering techniques to obtain private information about their targets, for private information about me and my associates over a 10-year period, from 1999, when I was still very much a minor, to 2009.”

The duke added: “I now realise that my acute paranoia of being constantly under surveillance was not misplaced after all.”

“I was upset to discover the amount of suspicious call data and the 13 private investigator payments for Chelsy (Davy, his ex-girlfriend).

“Had she not been in a relationship with me, she would never have had to endure such a horrific experience at the hands of MGN’s journalists.

“There are even eight private investigator payments made in relation to my mother, which I have only learnt of since bringing my claim. This makes me feel physically sick.”

Duke speaks of ‘paranoia’ caused by alleged unlawful information gathering

11:33 , Tara Cobham

Describing the impact of the alleged unlawful information gathering on him in his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex said: “It created a huge amount of paranoia in my relationships… I felt that I couldn’t trust anybody, which was an awful feeling for me, especially at such a young age.

“As I am uncovering the extent of the unlawful activities carried out by MGN’s journalist and senior executives towards me, I feel somewhat relieved to know that my paranoia towards my friends and family had, in fact, been misplaced, although feel sad for how much it impacted my adolescence.”

‘How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone stops this madness’

11:06 , Tara Cobham

Prince Harry has delivered a searing indictment of the tabloid press in general.

“How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness,” he writes in his 55-page long witness statement, clarifying that this scathing comment is directed at the tabloid press more broadly.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, asked if the duke meant “blood on their hands” in relation to a specific article, and further asked him what he meant by it.

Harry said: “Some of the editors and journalists that are responsible for causing a lot of pain, upset and in some cases, speaking personally, death.”

He then said his reference to “blood on their hands” was “more broadly towards the press” in general, adding: “I haven’t named the journalists in that particular paragraph.”

Alleged unlawful actions of MGN journalists ‘affected every area of my life’ - Harry

11:00 , Tara Cobham

In his written evidence, the Duke of Sussex said the alleged unlawful actions of MGN journalists “affected every area of my life”.

He said: “My voicemails would include incredibly private and sensitive information about my relationships, my operational security and that of my family, my work both in the army and as a senior member of the royal family, and also any plans that I had made for my time off including holidays and downtime with friends. They would also include incredibly private and sensitive information about those with whom I associated.”

Harry added: “I remember on multiple occasions hearing a voicemail for the first time that wasn’t ‘new’, but I don’t remember thinking that it was particularly unusual – I would simply put it down to perhaps a technical glitch, as mobile phones were still relatively new back then, or even just having too many drinks the night before, and having forgotten that I’d listened to it.”

The duke said that he now believes that both his and his associates voicemail messages were hacked by MGN, and that it also used “other unlawful means” to obtain private information.

He continued: The fact that the defendant’s journalists and those instructed on their behalf were listening in to private and sensitive voicemails at the level of detail discussed in this statement rather suggests that they could have heard anything and everything.

“This not only creates a huge amount of distress but presented very real security concerns for not only me but also everyone around me. I would say their actions affected every area of my life.”

Late Queen secretly sent aide to Harry for support dealing with press

10:59 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, the duke described how, when he was on a trip to Australia in his gap year in 2003, his grandmother the late Queen secretly sent one of her aides to stay nearby without him knowing in case he needed support because of press coverage.

“I only learnt recently that the Queen had asked one of her assistant private secretaries to fly out to Noosa and take a house down the road from where I was staying, without me knowing,” Harry said.

“She was concerned about the extent of the coverage of my trip and wanted someone I knew to be nearby, in case I needed support.”

Harry added: “Every time I was getting off a plane or jumping in a car, I was looking in the rear-view mirror so to speak. I came to expect to be followed and papped by someone hiding in a bush somewhere. Everything felt as though I was under 24-hour surveillance,.”

'I’ve experienced hostility from the press since I was born’

10:56 , Tara Cobham

Under cross-examination from Andrew Green KC, for MGN, the Duke of Sussex said: “I’ve experienced hostility from the press since I was born.”

Harry was questioned about his attitude towards the media, and asked if had a “long-standing” hostility towards it.

“Yes, that’s correct,” the duke said.

Mr Green asked if this hostility had pre-dated the discovery that unlawful methods had been used by some of the press.

The duke replied: “Yes… because the unlawful methods were hidden from me as well as everybody else.”

He added that it “certainly shocked me”.

Tabloids’ behaviour ‘utterly vile’ - Harry’s witness statement

10:55 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex said it was “no secret that I have had, and continue to have, a very difficult relationship with the tabloid press in the UK”.

He continued: “In my experience as a member of the royal family, each of us gets cast into a specific role by the tabloid press. You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have. They then start to edge you towards playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible, especially if you are the ‘spare’ to the ‘heir’.

“You’re then either the ‘playboy prince’, the ‘failure’, the ‘dropout’ or, in my case, the ‘thicko’, the ‘cheat’, the ‘underage drinker’, the ‘irresponsible drug taker’, the list goes on.

“As a teenager and in my early 20s, I ended up feeling as though I was playing up to a lot of the headlines and stereotypes that they wanted to pin on me mainly because I thought that, if they are printing this rubbish about me and people were believing it, I may as well ‘do the crime’, so to speak.

“It was a downward spiral, whereby the tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a ‘damaged’ young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story and sell lots of newspapers.

“Looking back on it now, such behaviour on their part is utterly vile.”

Cross-examination of Prince Harry begins

10:53 , Tara Cobham

Andrew Green KC, representing MGN, has begun his cross-examination of the duke by saying: “I’m sure your legal team has explained to you how this process works.

“One of the things I am going to be doing is taking you through various newspaper articles, some of which are the subject of your claim. I entirely appreciate that you have lived a lifetime of tabloid press intrusion, and that having to be asked questions on such matters can only be unpleasant.”

The barrister asked the duke to let him know if he wanted to take a break “at any point or for any reason” and also to say if he found any question “objectionable”.

Mr Green then apologised to the duke in person on behalf of MGN, repeating the publisher’s “unreserved apology” to him at the outset of the trial for one instance of unlawful activity.

He said: “MGN unreservedly apologises to you for that, it should never have happened and it will never happen again.”

Mr Green told Harry that, if the judge finds that MGN was responsible for any further acts of unlawful information gathering, “you will be entitled to, and will receive, a more extensive apology”.

Prince Harry has been sworn in as a witness

10:34 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex has been sworn in as a witness.

Holding a Bible in his right hand while standing up, Harry repeated after a court clerk the oath: “I swear by almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

David Sherborne, the duke’s barrister, asked Harry to confirm that his preferred way to be addressed, after first being referred to as “your Royal Highness”, is Prince Harry, to which Harry replied “yes”.

The barrister then asked Harry to confirm the contents of his witness statement are true and that it contains his signature.

Moment Harry arrived at High Court

10:26 , Tara Cobham

King Charles in Romania with ‘no wifi, TV or radio’ as son testifies

10:22 , Tara Cobham

King Charles III is currently in Romania with no wifi, TV or radio as his son prepares to step into the witness box, it is understood.

On Friday, the monarch arrived in the country for an annual trip to his holiday home, royal expert Jennie Bond told Good Morning Britain last week has no wifi, TV or radio.

His Majesty has a long history with the country, where he owns at least ten properties; his first was a Saxon house in the village of Viscri in 2006.

It is understood that the King will be visiting a stripped-back former farmhouse in Zalanpatak, while Queen Camilla will not be accompanying her husband.

Watch: King Charles welcomed in Romania as he arrives for trip to holiday home

Growing crowds seen gathered outside courthouse

09:55 , Tara Cobham

Watch: Prince Harry arrives at High Court to give landmark evidence in phone-hacking case

09:52 , Tara Cobham

Prince Harry arrived at the High Court in London on Tuesday 6 June, where he will become the first senior British royal to give evidence for 150 years when he testifies in his lawsuit against a newspaper group he accuses of extensive unlawful behaviour.

The Duke of Sussex is headed for a courtroom showdown with the publisher of the Daily Mirror - Mirror Group Newspapers - and walked into court in front of a media scrum.

Harry is expected to describe his anguish and anger over being hounded by the press throughout his life, and its impact on those around him.

Watch here:

Watch: Prince Harry arrives at High Court to give landmark evidence in phone-hacking case

Prince Harry arrives at High Court

09:39 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex has arrived at the High Court to give evidence in his claim against Mirror Group Newspapers.

Harry arrived outside the Rolls Building in central London at 9.36am in a black Range Rover, wearing a black suit.

He walked into the building without answering reporters’ questions before passing security checks inside.

Who is the ‘beast’ lawyer Andrew Green cross-examining Harry?

09:35 , Tara Cobham

As Prince Harry enters the witness box in a historic showdown on Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex will face Andrew Green KC, the renowned barrister acting on behalf of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Mr Green, who has fought various high-profile cases in his 35 years at the Bar, will be seeking to “tear his case to shreds”, a High Court barrister told Sky News on Monday – as a former adversary warned The Independent that the duke may not even realise if he slips up during cross-examination.

Having been awarded silk in 2010 – the honour bestowed upon only elite lawyers – Mr Green has previously been described as a “beast in court”, in remarks publicised on his profile at Blackstone Chambers.

Andy Gregory reports:

Who is Andrew Green? The ‘Beast’ lawyer ‘planning to tear Prince Harry’s case to shreds’ at High Court

Man appears with Harry and Meghan placard outside court

09:25 , Tara Cobham

A man has appeared outside the High Court with a placard of Harry and Meghan dressed up as Joseph and Mary.

No one is quite clear who this man is or why he is there with a painting of the Duke and Duke of Sussex in religious attire - but he sparked a flurry of interest as the crowds gathered to take photos of him and his sign.

The phone hacking trial has attracted interest from all around the world.

Victorian scandal behind last time royal was questioned in court

09:15 , Tara Cobham

A royal scandal in the Victorian era involving gambling, an illegal card game, and accusations of cheating set the scene for the last time a prince stepped into the witness box in a British court.

Royal fans have to look back 130 years to find accounts of an “extremely nervous” and pale-faced future King Edward VII giving evidence in a slander case after a spectacular falling out with his best friend in 1890.

Centred on the illicit card game of baccarat, the furore – dubbed “the royal baccarat scandal” or “the Tranby Croft affair” – proved an unedifying moment for all involved, and distinctly damaging for the crown.

After the Prince of Wales’s former close friend, Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet, of the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating in the game, Lt Col Gordon-Cumming took his accusers to court and the prince acted as a key witness for the defence.

The “poor showing” of the nervous Prince of Wales in particular proved “disastrous” for the royal family, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

The Victorian scandal at the heart of last time royal was questioned in court

Harry battles on two fronts as US visa challenged over drug use

09:08 , Tara Cobham

The US government is set to be challenged in court over its decision not to disclose the reasoning behind admitting the Duke of Sussex into the country, despite his admissions of illegal drug use.

Prince Harry’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his memoir Spare prompted a conservative Washington DC think tank to question why he was allowed into the US in 2020.

The Heritage Foundation brought the lawsuit against the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) after a Freedom of Information Act request was rejected – claiming it was of “immense public interest”.

Josh Payne reports:

Harry’s US visa challenged in court after prince admits drug abuse in book

Why did Harry skip the first day of the trial

09:00 , Tara Cobham

The duke had been expected to arrive at court on Monday but will not appear until Tuesday.

The hearing in London heard Harry had flown to the UK from Los Angeles in the US on Sunday night, as he was celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.

Mr Justice Fancourt, the judge hearing the case, said he was “a little surprised” to hear that the duke would not be attending court on Monday.

First time prince steps into witness box in 130 years

08:54 , Tara Cobham

Set to enter the witness box on Tuesday morning, Harry is due to face up to a day-and-a-half of cross-examination from MGN’s barrister.

The last time a prince testified in court was when the future King Edward VII appeared as a witness in June 1891 in the Tranby Croft Affair case to give evidence on a slander accusation arising from a card game.

William Gordon-Cumming, a lieutenant-colonel in the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating at the game baccarat at a house party at Tranby Croft in East Yorkshire where Bertie was a guest.

Harry’s appearance is thought to be the first time a senior member of the royal family has personally appeared in court proceedings since 2002, when the Princess Royal pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her pet bit two children in Windsor Great Park.

What did the Daily Mirror’s publisher argue back on Monday

08:50 , Tara Cobham

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said Harry’s claim had “become rather fantastical”.

The barrister said: “The defendant’s position is that there is simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis.”

He said that payment records used in the duke’s claim “simply do not demonstrate unlawful conduct or knowledge thereof”.

He also said that there was a lack of call data in Harry’s case, telling the court: “There is no call data whatsoever for the Duke of Sussex and scant call data for his associates.”

Mr Green later said the duke faced “a very difficult starting point for the claimant proving he was habitually hacked”.

The barrister also said a suggestion that its journalists had hacked the phone of the late Diana, Princess of Wales was “total speculation”.

He told the court: “Mr Sherborne’s suggestion that MGN’s journalists hacked her phone is total speculation without any evidential basis whatsoever.”

“The letters you were shown, to Michael Barrymore, are not evidence of voicemail interception,” Mr Green said, adding that “plainly no such finding could be made”.

Harry’s claim is being heard alongside three other “representative” claims during a trial which began last month and is due to last six to seven weeks.

The three other representative claimants are Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, who is best known for playing Kevin Webster in the long-running soap, former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

Mr Green said voicemail interception was denied in all four cases and that there was “no evidence or no sufficient evidence”.

The barrister continued: “There is some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of unlawful information gathering in respect of each of the claimants, save for Mr Turner whose claim is entirely denied, and MGN has made pleaded admissions in respect thereof.

“MGN unreservedly apologises for all such instances of unlawful information gathering, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated.”

What did Harry’s barrister argue on Monday

08:42 , Tara Cobham

Harry’s individual case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) got underway on Monday.

Barrister David Sherborne claimed the duke was subjected to unlawful information-gathering activity “right from when he was a young boy at school” into adulthood, adding: “Nothing was sacrosanct or out of bounds.”

He continued: “Every part of the prince’s life during these years was invaded by these three papers using these unlawful methods.”

The barrister said, contrary to some criticism of Harry, it was “the use of these methods by a national media group that has brought him here, not some vendetta against the press generally”.

Mr Sherborne has previously claimed that unlawful information gathering was “habitual and widespread” at MGN’s titles over almost two decades.

The barrister told the court on Monday that Harry was “the biggest target”, adding that it was “implausible” there were no admissions from MGN except one.

He claimed that Harry’s phone “would have been hacked on multiple occasions”, adding that his details appeared in the PalmPilot of a journalist who was one of the “most prolific” phone hackers.

Mr Sherborne later said: “What he has been able to do as a result by bringing this claim, he has been able to focus the attention that comes with his position on these activities and the fact that they have been carried out not just by journalists, but they have been concealed, even though they were known about by the senior members of the board of this PLC, as well as the legal department.

“It is the focus on these activities and bringing the defendant to account which is why he is bringing this action.”

Mr Sherborne told the High Court in London that “no aspect of the young prince’s life was safe” from press intrusion and that details of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy “were all revealed and picked apart by the three Mirror Group titles”.

The court was later told that a 2003 article detailed an alleged row between the duke and his brother William, now the Prince of Wales, over their mother’s former butler, Paul Burrell.

“Brothers can sometimes disagree,” Mr Sherborne continued, adding: “But once it is made public in this way and their inside feelings revealed in the way that they are, trust begins to be eroded.”

Mr Sherborne also said the late Diana, Princess of Wales was a “huge target” for MGN’s newspapers, adding that certain alleged unlawful activities in relation to her would have also affected Harry.

He read out two letters from Diana to entertainer Michael Barrymore, which referred to private meetings between the pair, and in one of the letters Diana referred to being “devastated” to learn that the “Daily Mirror” had contacted her office about him and their meetings.

Harry due to give evidence at High Court in landmark case

08:35 , Tara Cobham

Prince Harry is due to give evidence in a historic appearance at the High Court on Tuesday in his case against the Daily Mirror’s publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering after he skipped the first day of the trial on Monday.

The Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles – which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

The duke had been expected to arrive at court on Monday but will now testify on Tuesday, becoming the first prince to do so for 130 years.

David Sherborne, acting for Harry, said the duke’s relationship with his brother, the Prince of Wales, suffered “mistrust” because of articles published by the Mirror publisher, the court heard on Monday.

This comes as it has been revealed Harry is battling on another front as his US visa is set to be challenged in court after he admitted illegal drug use in his memoir Spare.

Watch live as Harry due to give evidence at High Court

07:54 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex is due to give evidence at the High Court on Tuesday in his case against the Daily Mirror’s publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering.

Set to enter the witness box on Tuesday morning, Harry is due to face up to a day-and-a-half of cross-examination from MGN’s barrister.

Watch live:

Live: Prince Harry arrives at High Court for MGN battle over phone hacking battle

Claims include more than 100 stories about royals

01:02 , Sam Rkaina

Harry alleges about 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information gathered using unlawful methods, and 33 of these have been selected to be considered at the trial.

One of the articles put before the trial is a December 2003 report from The People, headlined: “Wills… Seeing Burrell is only way to stop him selling more Diana secrets. Harry no… Burrell’s a…”.

Mr Sherborne referred to the article which detailed an alleged row between the duke and his brother over Mr Burrell.

The barrister said: “Even at this very early formative stage, the seeds of discord between these two brothers are starting to be sown.”

“Brothers can sometimes disagree,” Mr Sherborne said, adding: “But once it is made public in this way and their inside feelings revealed in the way that they are, trust begins to be eroded.”

The barrister added: “One can see how the mistrust can set in from an early age, exactly because of this type of activity.”

The brothers are now estranged, with the breakdown in their relationship laid bare in the duke’s controversial autobiography Spare, which claims William physically attacked Harry and teased him about his panic attacks.

Harry’s claim is being heard alongside three other “representative” claims during a trial which began last month and is due to last six to seven weeks.

Relationship ‘had little chance due to constant stream of stories'

Tuesday 6 June 2023 00:02 , Sam Rkaina

Mr Sherborne said that in his witness statement, yet to be made public, the duke described the “constant stream of stories” about his relationship with Ms Davy.

The barrister told the High Court the duke referred to “how little chance this relationship was given because of this” and described how it affected his relationships going forward.

Zimbabwean-born Chelsy dated Harry for about seven years. They coped with a long-distance relationship while the duke was training in the Army and overseas and Chelsy was at university in South Africa.

They split in early 2009 and, after both reportedly had flings, rekindled their relationship, and in May 2010 Ms Davy made a rare public appearance to watch Harry receive his wings after completing his Army Air Corps helicopter pilot course.

The reunion was not permanent and the couple broke up again. They remained friends and she attended his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.

Mr Sherborne said: “As he explains, it was as if they never felt they were on their own, which placed a huge amount of strain on their relationship and ultimately led Ms Davy to decide a royal life was not for her.”

Mr Sherborne added: “It also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that relationships were lost entirely unnecessarily.”

Harry’s relationship with ex ‘damaged by phone hacking’ court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 23:10 , Sam Rkaina

The Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy and his bond with his brother were damaged by newspaper articles produced by alleged unlawful information gathering, the High Court was told.

Harry believes Ms Davy decided a “royal life was not for her” due to a string of stories about the couple, the trial heard.

Harry is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles, which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

When the duke clashed with his brother over the best way to handle Paul Burrell, their mother’s former butler, their alleged disagreement was the subject of a 2003 story in The People that contributed to the “seeds of discord” being sown between the siblings.

The press intrusion left Harry, who in 2020 stepped down as a working royal and moved to California with his wife Meghan, “suffering bouts of depression as a result”, his barrister David Sherborne told the court.

Recap: Prince Harry no-shows start of his own phone hacking trial leaving judge ‘surprised’

Monday 5 June 2023 22:15 , Sam Rkaina

Prince Harry’s decision not to attend the opening day of his court case into alleged illegal information gathering by tabloid newspapers was met with “surprise” by the judge.

Mr Justice Fancourt questioned why the Duke of Sussex did not attend Monday’s hearing - despite him being the first of four witnesses due to give evidence in the civil trial at London’s High Court.

All four are suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles – which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were linked to methods including phone hacking, gaining information by deception, and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

David Sherborne, representing the duke and the other claimants, blamed Harry’s non-attendance on him flying to the UK from Los Angeles in the US on Sunday night so he could celebrate his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday earlier that day.

Click here for the full story on Monday’s hearing.

All we know about ‘Beast’ lawyer ‘planning to tear Prince Harry’s case to shreds’

Monday 5 June 2023 21:10 , Sam Rkaina

Prince Harry is set to be the first royal in 130 years to undergo cross-examination in a British court this week, in a blockbuster legal battle with the Mirror publisher over alleged phone hacking.

As he enters the witness box in a historic showdown on Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex will face Andrew Green KC, the renowned barrister acting on behalf of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Mr Green, who has fought various high-profile cases in his 35 years at the Bar, will be seeking to “tear his case to shreds”, a High Court barrister told Sky News on Monday – as a former adversary warned The Independent that the duke may not even realise if he slips up during cross-examination.

Click here for the full story.

Opinion | Prince Harry is ‘squadron leader’ in Sussex vs Others

Monday 5 June 2023 20:14 , Andy Gregory

In his latest piece discussing Prince Harry’s absence at the High Court today, our sketch writer Tom Peck argues:

He will, most certainly, be around on Tuesday, when his cross-examination will begin, and that will be an intriguing encounter. The sons of kings tend not to acquaint themselves with the insides of witness boxes in the courts of law.

But that, it hardly needs to be restated, is the whole point here. Sussex is the squadron leader in Sussex vs Others. The number of people – and not just celebrities, but victims of crimes, or the relatives of victims of crimes – have ultimately chosen, over the last twelve years, to take the media’s money and not go to court is because they simply can’t afford to bet their house and lose, even if the odds were so firmly in their favour.

He is the one who’s meant to be prepared to go on to the end, whatever the cost may be; the hard, sharp tip of the battering ram that will break down the door and let the light of the truth come flooding in.

The people who’ve been fighting the fight on phone hacking for a dozen years or more – a lot of them the lowly reporters who carried the can for the big guys – are doing it because they just want to show that there isn’t one set of rules for normal people and another for the powerful.

So it doesn’t help, it really doesn’t, that their princely champion should make it so easy for people to think that’s precisely what he believes. That his belief in his “life’s mission” lacks enough passion to overcome an unfortunate diary clash with his daughter’s birthday.

Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy ‘damaged’ by newspaper articles

Monday 5 June 2023 19:31 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex's relationship with his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy was damaged by newspaper articles produced by alleged unlawful information gathering, the High Court was told.

His barrister David Sherborne told the court that in his witness statement, yet to be made public, the duke described the "constant stream of stories" about his relationship with Ms Davy, and believes she decided a “royal life was not for her” due to a string of stories about the couple.

The barrister said the duke referred to “how little chance this relationship was given because of this” and how it felt “as if they never felt they were on their own”, and described how it affected his relationships going forward.

Mr Sherborne added: “It also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that relationships were lost entirely unnecessarily.”

Zimbabwean-born Chelsy dated Harry for about seven years. They coped with a long-distance relationship while the duke was training in the Army and overseas and Chelsy was at university in South Africa.

They split in early 2009 and, after both reportedly had flings, rekindled their relationship, and in May 2010 Ms Davy made a rare public appearance to watch Harry receive his wings after completing his Army Air Corps helicopter pilot course.

The reunion was not permanent and the couple broke up again. They remained friends and she attended his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.

Sketch | Party pooper Harry spoils big day for hacks with his balloon-bursting no-show in court

Monday 5 June 2023 18:43 , Andy Gregory

In his latest column, our sketch writer Tom Peck suggests of the Duke of Sussex’s court absence today that “if Harry’s new self-described “life’s mission” is to dish out a bit of payback to the out-of-control tabloids then this very surprising tactic kind of worked, in its own unlikely way”. He writes:

“Nothing is going to stop Prince Harry from having his day in court. Apart from, it turns out, Harry himself.

“It’s fair to say that what none of us quite saw coming was that he simply wouldn’t turn up because he had to be at his two-year-old daughter’s birthday party.

“There must have been a hundred snappers and almost as many TV camera crews set up outside the revolving door of the Rolls Building in the City of London. Not one of them went home with the picture they wanted. There was to be no brush with that famous auburn stubble.”

Party pooper Harry spoils big day for hacks with court no-show | Tom Peck

Former Mirror journalist denies knowledge of ‘flight blagging’

Monday 5 June 2023 18:08 , Andy Gregory

Former Mirror journalist Anthony Harwood, the sole witness in today’s proceedings, has denied knowing anything about a former reporter using an illegal technique called “flight blagging”.

The paper’s former head of news was asked about a story revealing the identity of Prince Harry’s former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, previously described as a “mystery blonde”, according to Sky News.

The duke’s lawyer David Sherborne claimed the Mirror had tasked a freelancer with making enquiries about the story in South Africa and asked Mr Harwood whether he was aware the freelancer was “very well-known for blagging flight details”, the broadcaster reported.

Mr Harwood reportedly told the court that he was not aware, and said the freelancer did “nothing of the sort” on the story about Ms Davy, headlined “Harry Is A Chelsy Fan”.

Princess Diana phone hacking claims are ‘total speculation’, says Mirror lawyer

Monday 5 June 2023 17:35 , Andy Gregory

The claim that Mirror journalists had hacked the phone of Diana, the late Princess of Wales, is “total speculation”, the publisher’s lawyer has said.

Andrew Green KC told the court that Prince Harry’s lawyer’s “suggestion that MGN’s journalists hacked her phone is total speculation without any evidential basis whatsoever”.

“The letters you were shown, to Michael Barrymore, are not evidence of voicemail interception,” Mr Green said, adding that “plainly no such finding could be made”.

Mr Green also told the court there was “simply nothing suspicious” about data on calls to the duke’s associates.

You can read more about the claims here:

Diana’s letter to Michael Barrymore over ‘secret meeting’ revealed at Harry trial

Harry heard nothing of phone hacking from police despite being ‘at centre of probe’, says lawyer

Monday 5 June 2023 17:08 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry was not told by police that he was the victim of phone hacking from MGN, despite many other high-profile people being contacted during their investigations, the publisher’s lawyer has said.

“The Metropolitan Police have never suggested to the Duke of Sussex that he has been the victim of phone hacking by anyone at MGN,” said Andrew Green KC.

The barrister said Scotland Yard had investigated the hacking of royal households, adding: “The Duke of Sussex was actually at the centre of the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation into phone hacking ... Despite that, no one at MGN was interviewed, let alone arrested and charged.”

‘Simply no evidence’ to support phone hacking claims, says MGN barrister

Monday 5 June 2023 17:03 , Andy Gregory

At the start of his opening, Andrew Green KC, acting for Mirror Group Newspapers, said the publisher’s position is “that there is simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis”.

The barrister said that payment records used in the duke’s claim “simply do not demonstrate unlawful conduct or knowledge thereof”.

He also said that there was a lack of call data in Harry’s case, telling the court: “There is no call data whatsoever for the Duke of Sussex and scant call data for his associates.”

Mr Green later said the duke faced “a very difficult starting point for the claimant proving he was habitually hacked”.

Harry’s court action not because of ‘some vendetta against the press’, lawyer says

Monday 5 June 2023 16:29 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne said the duke was bringing his claim against MGN to focus attention on the alleged unlawful information gathering and not because he has “some vendetta against the press in general”.

Concluding his opening arguments in the duke’s case, the barrister said: “As the examination of the 33 articles demonstrates, every part of the prince’s life during these years was invaded by these three papers using these unlawful methods.”

Contrary to some criticism of Harry, it was “the use of these methods by a national media group that has brought him here, not some vendetta against the press generally”,” the lawyer said, adding: “Although he regards himself just like any other victim, whether high profile or not, he is not treated in that way because it drives sales.”

This made Harry “the biggest target”, he said, adding that it was “implausible” there were no admissions from MGN except one.

The barrister added: “What he has been able to do as a result by bringing this claim, he has been able to focus the attention that comes with his position on these activities and the fact that they have been carried out not just by journalists, but they have been concealed, even though they were known about by the senior members of the board of this PLC, as well as the legal department”.

“It is the focus on these activities and bringing the defendant to account which is why he is bringing this action.”

Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy given ‘little chance’ because of press intrusion, court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 16:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for Harry, said that in his witness statement, yet to be made public, the duke describes the “constant stream of stories” about his relationship with Ms Davy.

The barrister said the duke refers to “how little chance this relationship was given because of this” and describes how it affected his relationships going forward.

Referring to articles from the time of Harry’s relationship with Ms Davy, Mr Sherborne said to Mr Justice Fancourt that he would notice “how young Prince Harry looks”.

“He is little more than a child, as was Ms Davy at the time,” the barrister continued. “As he explains, it was as if they never felt they were on their own, which placed a huge amount of strain on their relationship and... ultimately led Ms Davy to decide a royal life was not for her.”

He added: “It also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that relationships were lost entirely unnecessarily.”

Mr Sherborne said that is something common to many alleged victims of unlawful information gathering.

He also said press intrusion led to Harry “suffering bouts of depression as a result”, which Mr Sherborne said was “hardly surprising” and also something that other alleged victims of unlawful information gathering had described.

The barrister added: “Who could forgive him for being protective as he grew up for future relationships, seeing... what those around him would be subjected to.”

‘No aspect of Harry’s life was safe’ from press intrusion, court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for the duke, said that “no aspect of the young prince’s life was safe” from press intrusion, including school, family and friends, and an aspect that was “too tempting and sold too many newspapers, and that is the personal relationships that he made”.

The barrister said Harry was just 20 when he met his “first serious girlfriend, Chelsy Davy”.

“The ups and downs and ins and outs of their relationship, the beginning, the break-ups and finally the split between them were all revealed and picked apart by the three Mirror Group titles,” Mr Sherborne continued, saying this was “clearly driven by unlawful activity”.

He told the court an article was published about their meeting in Argentina and another appeared around the time the duke met Ms Davy’s father.

Revealed: Princess Diana’s letter to Michael Barrymore over ‘secret meeting’

Monday 5 June 2023 15:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Letters between the late Princess Diana and Michael Barrymore in which she discusses a “secret” meeting between the pair have been revealed in her son Prince Harry’s High Court trial against the Daily Mirror publisher.

The Duke of Sussex is one of four “test” cases among scores of complaints against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) being heard in London, alleging illegal information-gathering techniques such as phone hacking, which the publisher denies.

With Harry flying in from the US late on Sunday after celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s birthday, his lawyer David Sherborne presented his mother’s letters to the court on Monday as he sought to claim the duke had been impacted by unlawful press tactics since childhood.

Diana’s letter to Michael Barrymore over ‘secret meeting’ revealed at Harry trial

‘Discord’ between Prince Harry and Prince William referenced in court

Monday 5 June 2023 15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for Harry, referred to a 2003 article which detailed an alleged row between the duke and his brother, now the Prince of Wales, over their mother’s former butler Paul Burrell.

The barrister said: “Even at this very early formative stage... the seeds of discord between these two brothers are starting to be sown.”

“Brothers can sometimes disagree,” Mr Sherborne said, adding: “But once it is made public in this way and their inside feelings revealed in the way that they are, trust begins to be eroded.

The barrister added: “One can see... how the mistrust can set in from an early age, exactly because of this type of activity.”

Unlawful information gathering ‘acted like a web’ around Prince Harry, court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 15:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Unlawful information gathering activities “acted like a web” around the Duke of Sussex and was carried out “beneath the radar” at MGN newspapers, Harry’s barrister told the High Court.

Resuming his opening of the duke’s case after a lunch break, David Sherborne continued to give examples of articles he said were linked to unlawful activities.

This included coverage of how Harry spent his 18th birthday, when he was made a godfather and when he contracted glandular fever.

Giving examples of payments to private investigators, Mr Sherborne said such activity included the alleged targeting of “one of the closest confidantes” of the duke, Guy Pelly.

“These methods acted like a web around the prince in the hope it would catch the valuable information that they sought through these unlawful means, some of which made it in stories,” Mr Sherborne said.

“Beneath the radar we see yet more unlawful information gathering methods being used.”

Judge expresses ‘surprise’ at Prince Harry’s failure to appear in court today

Monday 5 June 2023 14:57 , Andy Gregory

A judge has expressed his “surprise” over the Duke of Sussex’s absence from the High Court as his individual case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror over alleged unlawful information gathering got under way.

He was expected to arrive at court on Monday but his lawyers told the court he will not appear until Tuesday, when he is due to face cross-examination from MGN’s barrister.

David Sherborne, representing the duke and the other claimants, said as the hearing began on Monday that Harry had flown to the UK from Los Angeles in the US on last night, as he was celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday on Sunday.

Mr Justice Fancourt, the judge hearing the case, said he was “a little surprised” to hear the duke would not be attending court on Monday.

The judge said he gave a direction earlier in the trial that witnesses should be available the day before their evidence was due to be heard in case the legal teams’ opening speeches ran short.

Details of Princess Diana’s letters to Michael Barrymore read out in court

Monday 5 June 2023 14:41 , Andy Gregory

The court has heard excerpts from letters between the late Princess Diana and entertainer Michael Barrymore, in which they discuss “secret” meetings at a time when he was “struggling”, which Prince Harry’s lawyer claims “plainly” points to phone hacking.

In one of the letters, Diana, the late princess of Wales, wrote: “What a joy it was to finally meet you tonight and it was a privilege to share so much with you.

“I did want to emphasise that I’m here for you whenever, it’s very easy to pop round and see you or please telephone now you have my number anytime. You’re doing just fine and believe me, I know. So take great care and lots of love from Diana.”

Princess Diana’s letters to Michael Barrymore over ‘secret’ meetings read out in court

Monday 5 June 2023 14:19 , Andy Gregory

David Sherborne, Prince Harry’s lawyer, said his late mother Princess Diana was a “huge target” for MGN’s newspapers, adding that certain unlawful activities in relation to her would have also affected Harry.

“It is part of our case that the interception of her messages would necessarily have involved obtaining information about the young prince,” he said.

Mr Sherborne then read out letters exchanged between Diana and former television personality Michael Barrymore, which referred to “secret and highly sensitive” meetings between the pair at a time when the entertainer was in the process of an “acrimonious divorce” and undergoing treatment for addiction, after it was made public that he was gay.

In one of the two letters, Diana referred to being “devastated” to learn the “Daily Mirror” had called her office about him and their meetings, which she wrote that she had not told anyone about.

Mr Sherborne said that “plainly” the Daily Mirror had been “listening to the voicemail messages and that is how they knew of the secret and highly sensitive meetings between Princess Diana and poor Mr Barrymore”.

What we know about Prince Harry’s latest legal battle

Monday 5 June 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The eyes of the media are turned to the High Court in London this week as the Duke of Sussex is set to give evidence in his legal action against the publisher of the Mirror.

Harry will enter the witness box tomorrow amid an ongoing trial over contested allegations of unlawful information gathering by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Here we look at why the duke is coming to court and what the case is all about:

What we know about Prince Harry’s legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers

Barrister gives timeline of when alleged actions began

Monday 5 June 2023 13:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for the duke, said: “In January 1996 Prince Harry was just 11 years old, that is when his relevant period starts, and it was already a time of high interest for the defendant’s papers in what the royal family were doing.”

The barrister said Charles and Diana, the then-princess of Wales, had separated in 1996 and divorced the following year.

He added: “The first activity we say was directed towards (Harry) is the instruction to the notorious Media Investigations, one of (private investigator) Jonathan Rees’s aliases.”

Mr Sherborne said there was evidence showing a payment to Media Investigations on January 3 1996, in relation to “Tiggy” - a reference which he said was to Harry’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

The barrister said an article was published in the Sunday People in January 1996 which was headlined “Charles in bust up over Tiggy”.

He then referred to another article published the same year with the headline “Harry rushed to hospital” and said it referred to Ms Legge-Bourke being by the duke’s side, having driven him to hospital, and was “comforting him” while his mother was away.

Unlawful information gathering began when Harry was ‘young boy at school,’ barrister claims

Monday 5 June 2023 13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for the duke, said Harry was “subjected to” unlawful information gathering activity “right from when he was a young boy at school”.

This carried on through “the tragic death of his mother”, his time during military training at Sandhurst and into adulthood.

The barrister said there was “no time in his life when he was safe from this activity”, adding: “Nothing was sacrosanct or out of bounds and there was no protection from this unlawful information gathering.”

Mr Sherborne told the court that some unlawful activity did not always result in an article and said the journalists who wrote the articles being considered during the trial were “frequent users of unlawful means”.

“It is likely that they would have used those same means in relation to the Duke of Sussex,” Mr Sherborne said.

Sherborne claims phone hacking is not ‘historical’ activity, court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 13:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne told the judge that he could draw “adverse inferences” from MGN journalists not attending the trial to give evidence and “vouching” for how they obtained information.

Harry’s barrister told the court that some journalists not being called to give evidence “are still employees of the defendant”, adding: “This activity is not historical, the suggestion that it all took place years ago is misplaced”.

Mr Sherborne said these journalists were “not only still employed by they have reached positions of seniority”.

“The result of that is that there are, we say, a very large number of gaps,” Mr Sherborne said.

“Which leads the court to draw the adverse inferences that we ask.”

Harry’s phone ‘hacked on multiple occasions,’ Sherborne claims

Monday 5 June 2023 12:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry’s barrister David Sherborne claimed that the Duke of Sussex’s phone “would have been hacked on multiple occasions”, telling the court that his details appeared in the palm pilot of a journalist who was one of the “most prolific” phone hackers.

The barrister said Harry was “one of the most written about individuals” in MGN newspapers, with more than 1,000 articles disclosed to him for the 2007 to 2011 period covered by the Gulati case.

MGM made admissions of unlawful gathering in previous trial, Harry’s barrister tells court

Monday 5 June 2023 12:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne, for Harry, said there were admissions by MGN of unlawful gathering in the previous High Court trial involving former Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati and others.

He said those included admissions relating to articles written by a number of journalists who wrote articles about the duke during the same-time period.

The barrister added: “We say it is an overwhelming inference ... that these journalists will have used the same unlawful methods to investigate, verify and write stories about Prince Harry, as they did about whichever of the claimants the did in the Gulati trial.”

Mr Sherborne said there was also people around Harry, including his then “confidant” Guy Pelly and his father the King’s then press secretary, whose details appeared in the palm pilots of MGN journalists.

He said 20 of the 33 articles the judge is considering in relation to Harry were written during that period.

Stories about Prince Harry’s private lives ‘drove sales,’ court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

David Sherborne continued in his case opening: “It’s clear that stories about Prince Harry’s private life drove sales, it’s obvious.

“After all, articles were the ends,” the duke’s barrister said, adding: “These are the ends that justify the means for the defendant.”

“The unlawful means which is what this claim is about.”

The trial has previously heard that Mirror Group Newspapers “unreservedly apologises” to the duke for one instance of unlawful information gathering.

Andrew Green KC, for the publisher, previously said it was admitted that a private investigator was instructed, by an MGN journalist at The People, to unlawfully gather information about Harry’s activities at the Chinawhite nightclub one night in February 2004.

But Mr Sherborne said on Monday: “The suggestion that there was just one instance of unlawful information gathering at just one of these newspapers we say is plainly implausible.

Details of duke’s life ‘too good not to publish,’ court hears

Monday 5 June 2023 11:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Details of the Duke of Sussex’s life were “a story too good not to publish”, his barrister told the High Court.

Continuing his opening of Harry’s individual case, David Sherborne gave examples of articles published by Mirror Group Newspaper titles over his lifetime.

This included a “front-page exclusive” when was “still a schoolboy” about the duke being diagnosed with glandular fever, Mr Sherborne told the court.

Another example the barrister gave was a “private argument between him and his brother Prince William” which featured in a double-page spread in The People title. Mr Sherborne also cited a Daily Mirror story entitled “Harry’s girl to dump him” about his relationship with former girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

“Every facet of his life even... the ups and downs of his first serious relationships with Ms Davy is still splashed across the paper as an exclusive,” Mr Sherborne said.

“A story too good not to publish,” Mr Sherborne said, adding that the relationship was covered “in full technicolour glory”.

Princess Lilibet turns two: Harry and Meghan’s daughter celebrates very different birthday in US

Monday 5 June 2023 11:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Princess Lilibet Diana turned two years old on Sunday (4 June).

The young royal, who is the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, celebrated her first birthday in the UK last year, but this time she was in Montecito, California, where the Sussexes now live after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

This marks a very different birthday for the family, who celebrated at Frogmore Cottage last year with British relatives in an intimate garden picnic. They were joined by Mike Tindall and Zara’s children Mia, nine, Lena, four, and Lucas, two.

Other guests included photographer and Chair of the Southbank Centre Misan Harriman and his wife and children, who took Lilibet’s portrait that day.

Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet celebrates very different birthday in US

Prince Harry’s barrister says duke’s claim against MGN is ‘very significant'

Monday 5 June 2023 11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Barrister for the claimants David Sherborne, opening Harry’s individual case on Monday, told the court the duke’s claim against MGN is a “very significant one” because it covered a long period between 1996 and 2011 and involved the “broadest range of unlawful activity”.

Mr Sherborne said there were “at least 30 different PIs (private investigators) used by MGN’s three titles - the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

He added: “There is a reason why this was carried out on such a widespread scale ... and that is because the ends justified the means for the defendant.”

The barrister said there are 33 sample articles, out of 147 complained of by Harry, which are being considered by the judge for the trial.

Mr Sherborne said the 147 were a “fraction” of all the articles written about the duke’s private life during that time, adding that MGN disclosed “almost 2,500” articles published about him throughout that period.

He said the MGN newspapers had a “huge interest” in the royal family, the duke in particular, and “every aspect of his private life”.

Judge ‘surprised’ Harry is a no-show today

Monday 5 June 2023 11:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Duke of Sussex was expected to arrive at court on Monday but his lawyers told the court he will not appear until Tuesday, when he is due to face cross-examination from MGN’s barrister.

David Sherborne, representing the duke and the other claimants, said as the hearing began on Monday that Harry had flown to the UK from Los Angeles in the US last night, as he was celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday on Sunday.

Mr Justice Fancourt, the judge hearing the case, said he was “a little surprised” to hear the duke would not be attending court on Monday.

The judge said he gave a direction earlier in the trial that witnesses should be available the day before their evidence was due to be heard in case the legal teams’ opening speeches ran short.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said he wished to have at least a day and a half to cross examine the duke and was “deeply troubled” he would not be attending before Tuesday, which may lead to “wasted time” on Monday afternoon.

Prince Harry no longer arriving at High Court today

Monday 5 June 2023 11:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Duke of Sussex will no longer appear at the High Court today, but instead is expected to arrive at the High Court in London tomorrow.

Prince Harry will be giving evidence in person for his case against Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Monday 5 June 2023 10:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry is due to arrive imminently at the High Court in London for his ongoing phone hacking trial. Stay tuned as we keep you updated with the latest.

‘I’ve not been called to give evidence’: What Piers Morgan has said about phone hacking accusations

Monday 5 June 2023 09:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Piers Morgan has strenuously denied knowing “anything about” phone hacking at the Mirror and said he “couldn’t give a monkey’s cuss” about the High Court case brought by Prince Harry.

The Duke of Sussex and other celebrities including Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Le Vell have accused Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and the use of private investigators.

What Piers Morgan has said about phone hacking accusations

Live: Prince Harry arrives at UK court for hearing in his case against Mirror group newspapers

Monday 5 June 2023 09:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Live: Prince Harry arrives at UK court for hearing in his case against Mirror group newspapers

Prince Harry set for witness box showdown in phone hacking trial against tabloid

Monday 5 June 2023 08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Duke of Sussex is due to appear in the witness box this week for a court showdown in his ongoing phone hacking battle against some members of the British press.

Prince Harry is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles committed phone hacking and other illegal methods of obtaining personal information.

He has accused MGN’s papers, which include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, of so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

The duke has been asked to attend court on Monday in case the opening speeches finish before the end of the day, so there is a possibility he may enter the witness box on Monday afternoon. Otherwise he is expected to begin his evidence on Tuesday, when he will face cross-examination from MGN’s lawyers.

Prince Harry set for witness box showdown in phone hacking trial against tabloid

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website