Prince Harry is set to testify in a London courtroom in June as part of one of his phone hacking lawsuits against British tabloids, according to lawyers. The trial, which involves the Duke of Sussex and three others suing the publisher of The Mirror, is due to start on May 9 and last six to seven weeks. Harry's testimony is not expected until early or mid-June, after the coronation of his father, King Charles III. The case against Mirror Group Newspapers alleges that Harry's voicemail messages were intercepted. The Mirror publisher is contesting the claims and argues they were brought too late. Other claimants in the case are Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife, Fiona Wightman, and actor Michael Turner.
Harry's appearance in court comes after he sat through parts of three days of hearings in a similar case last week, which he brought with Elton John, actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and others. His presence in court indicated the importance of the case to Harry in his broader battle against the British press. The prince has several lawsuits against the news media and has said he wants to reform the tabloid press as part of his life's work. British tabloid publishers have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle claims dating back well over a decade that journalists and private investigators hired by them hacked the voicemails of celebrities, politicians and others in the public eye. The May trial is a test case by four claimants against the Mirror out of a larger group of well-known people who sued the publisher.