London (CNN) — Britain’s Prince Harry arrived at the High Court in London to attend a hearing in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited over alleged illegal gathering of information.
The Duke of Sussex joined a group of high-profile figures, including singer Elton John, in a lawsuit against the publisher of the Chron, the Mail on Sunday and the Mail Online last year.
The lawsuit accuses Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of using various criminal means over the years to obtain information about personalities.
Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, David Furnish and Doreen Lawrence make up the rest of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
They claim to have been “victims of heinous criminal activity and serious violations of privacy,” according to a statement from their representatives at the time.
The group accused ANL of hiring private investigators to carry out unlawful acts such as installing wiretapping devices in homes and cars and recording private conversations. It also alleges that the publisher would pay corrupt police officers to obtain inside information, engage in identity theft and deception to obtain medical records, and hack into bank accounts and financial transactions through “unlawful means and manipulation.”
A four-day pre-trial hearing begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday, during which the ANL is expected to seek to dismiss the case.
Elton John, in his role as plaintiff, arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice followed by his husband David Furnish (rear, left) on March 27, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The publisher dismissed the allegations as “absurd defamation” and, according to PA Media, dismissed the lawsuit as “a planned and pre-planned attempt to drag Mail titles into the wiretapping scandal”.
An ANL spokesman added that the allegations were “baseless and highly defamatory claims without any credible evidence,” British news agency PA Media reports.
The lawsuit against ANL is one of several filed by Prince Harry in recent years.
He also sued ANL after the Mail on Sunday newspaper published an article about his court case against the UK Home Office over his family’s security measures during his visit to the UK.
Meanwhile, in 2019 he also sued the owners of British tabloids The Sun and Daily Mirror over alleged historic phone hacking. The case against the editor of the Daily Mirror is due to be heard 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 wife Meghan attended the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September.
In the months since, the Sussexes have released a Netflix docuseries and the Duke’s memoir, which gives more 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. As it is the school holiday, Prince William is not in Windsor, the source added.