Prince Harry made a stunning appearance at London’s High Court on Monday for the first hearing in the case against the publisher. Daily Mail Wiretapping and privacy violations.
The Duke of Sussex took action against the Associated Press, along with other celebrities including Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, but no one expected the semi-retired royal to appear in person at the central London court.
At Monday’s hearing, the judge will consider preliminary legal arguments in the case and decide whether to proceed with the case. The media outlet has denied the allegations.
Harry, one of seven claimants in the suit, claims he and others were victims of a “hate crime” and a “gross violation of privacy.” The group announced last October that it would take legal action against Associated Newspapers for misusing personal information.
At the time, Hamlins, the law firm representing the Duke of Sussex and actress Sadie Frost, accused the media outlet of hiring private investigators to “secretly put listening devices in people’s cars and homes”. Paying police officers for sensitive information and “impersonating individuals to obtain medical information”
Full details of the claims are not yet publicly available. But Associated Newspapers called the allegations “vicious smears” and will try to have the case thrown out in a four-day trial in the English capital.
Although he was unexpectedly in London, Prince Harry will not meet his father King Charles or his brother Prince William while in England this week, with sources in both camps telling The Daily Beast they are too busy to make time to see him.
William and Kate’s children were on the first day of the Easter school holidays on Monday, and the family was not in Windsor, where Harry is believed to be staying at his home at Frogmore Cottage, which he is due to leave soon on royal orders.
The king was thought to be neither in London nor in Windsor, having retreated to his country home of Highgrove after a state trip to France was canceled at the last minute due to street riots.
The royal family’s apparent lack of interest in meeting Harry could crush any last hope he had that his family would sit down to talk to him face-to-face before the coronation.
Harry has said he wants to talk about conditions such as attending the coronation, adding that he “needs to apologize to my wife” for the poor treatment he received while working as a member of the royal family.
Anderson promoted his memoir in an interview with Cooper Spare He said: “The ball is in their court, but you know, Meghan and I have consistently said that we will apologize publicly for what we did wrong … There needs to be a constructive conversation, that can happen in private. It won’t leak.”
The Daily Beast has been told by reliable sources, however, that the royals have nothing to apologize for and will not make such a gesture.
