Prince Harry made an impressive appearance before London’s High Court on Monday at the first hearing of a lawsuit accusing the Chron’s editor of phone tapping and invasion of privacy.
The Duke of Sussex filed the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers alongside other celebrities including Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, but no one expected the semi-retired royal to appear in person at central London’s courthouse.
At Monday’s hearing, the initial legal arguments in the case will be examined, and a judge will then decide whether the case can go ahead. The media company rejects the allegations.
Harry, one of seven plaintiffs in the case, says he and others have been victims of “heinous criminal activity” and “gross invasions of privacy.” The group announced last October that it would take legal action against Associated Newspapers over misuse of private information.
At the time, the law firm of Hamlins – which represents the Duke of Sussex and actress Sadie Frost – claimed that the media giant’s activities included hiring private investigators to “surreptitiously place listening devices in people’s cars and homes,” spying on private phone conversations that Paying police officers for sensitive information and “identifying people to obtain medical information”.
The full details of the claims have not yet been made publicly available. However, the Associated Newspapers has called the allegations “absurd slander” and will seek to push the case beyond four days of hearings in the English capital.