LONDON (CNN) — Britain’s Prince Harry has arrived at London’s High Court to attend a hearing in a case against Associated Newspapers Ltd over alleged illegal data collection.
The Duke of Sussex joined a group of high-profile figures, including singer Elton John, last year in legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and Mail Online.
The suit alleges that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) used various criminal means to obtain information about personalities over the years.
Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, David Furnish and Doreen Lawrence are the remaining plaintiffs in the legal action.
According to a statement from their representatives at the time, they said they were “victims of despicable criminal acts and serious violations of privacy.”
The group accused them of hiring private investigators to carry out illegal activities such as placing listening devices in homes and cars and recording private calls. Through “illegal means and manipulations,” the publisher allegedly paid corrupt police officers, impersonation and deception to obtain medical records, and hack into bank accounts and financial transactions.
A four-day preliminary hearing begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday, during which ANL is expected to try to have the case dismissed.
Elton John arrives as a litigant at the Royal Courts of Justice on March 27, 2023 in London, England, followed by her husband David Furnish (back, left). (Photo: Dan Kidwood/Getty Images)
The publisher dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous defamation” and dismissed the lawsuit as a “premeditated and premeditated attempt to drag the mail subjects into the wiretapping scandal,” according to PA Media.
An ANL spokesman added that the allegations were baseless and highly defamatory claims, not based on any credible evidence, Britain’s PA Media news agency reported.
The case against ANL is one of several brought by Prince Harry in recent years.
She sued ANL after the Mail on Sunday newspaper published an article about her legal proceedings against the British Home Office over security measures taken by her family during their visit to Britain.
Meanwhile, he sued the owners of British tabloid newspapers The Sun and Daily Mirror for historic phone hacking in 2019. The case against the editor of the Daily Mirror will go to trial in May.
The 38-year-old prince’s surprise appearance in London on Monday is believed to be his first trip back to the UK since he and his wife Meghan attended the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September.
In the months since, Sussex has released a Netflix docu-series and memoir of the Duke, which provided further insight into his fractured relationship with the rest of the royal family.
Harry is not expected to see his brother, the Prince of Wales, a royal source told CNN. The source added that since it was a school holiday, Prince William was not in Windsor.
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