Ruling in Prince Harry's privacy case against Daily Mail due on Tuesday

The High Court in London is expected to rule on Tuesday, 7 July, on a phone hacking lawsuit brought by Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other high-profile British figures against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The claimants allege that dozens of stories published between the 1990s and 2011 in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday relied on information obtained through widespread unlawful behaviour.

During a ten-week London trial that began in January, the court heard allegations that private investigators hired by journalists hacked mobile phone messages, tapped landlines, and used deception to elicit confidential personal details, including medical records. Newspaper executives admitted to minor data law breaches, such as obtaining unlisted phone numbers, but stated that the use of investigators was banned from 2007. Legal costs are estimated to reach tens of millions of pounds, with the losing side largely responsible for the final bill.

The other claimants are David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, and Simon Hughes.

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