Prince Harry's lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail has taken a new turn, as he seeks evidence from a decade-old inquiry into phone hacking. The Duke of Sussex, along with celebrities such as Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd and want to use documents that were disclosed confidentially to a government inquiry into the scandal of journalists eavesdropping on voicemails. Harry's lawyer plans to ask government ministers to revoke or amend a previous order that restricted the publication of records of payments to private detectives who allegedly bugged phones and illegally snooped on his clients.
The lawsuit is part of Harry's ongoing battle against the British tabloids, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and for driving him and his wife, Meghan, to leave their royal duties and move to the US. This is the third lawsuit brought by Harry against newspaper publishers to proceed to trial on similar allegations. Another judge is currently deciding whether to award Harry damages in a case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, and a trial is scheduled for next year involving claims brought by Harry and actor Hugh Grant against The Sun.
During the hearing in the High Court, the focus was on the legal fees to be awarded at this stage of the case. The judge acknowledged that the claimants were due legal fees because the publisher had been unsuccessful in its attempt to have the case dismissed. However, he wanted to further review the fees and scheduled another hearing in March.
The publisher, Associated Newspapers, is seeking fees to cover the successful blocking of the use of evidence from the Leveson inquiry. They argue that the use of the ledgers is a breach of confidentiality obligations and that Harry's lawyers have acted tactically and cynically in using illegally obtained information to support their claims.
Other parties involved in the case include actor Sadie Frost, Elton John's husband David Furnish, anti-racism advocate Doreen Lawrence, and former politician Simon Hughes. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the relationship between the British royal family and the tabloid press.