Some of the key questions in Harry’s legal action against The Sun publisher
Harry alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers.
As The Duke of Sussex’s trial against the publisher of The Sun gets under way at the High Court in London, here are some of the key questions:
– What is the case about?
Harry is bringing legal action against News Group Newspapers (NGN) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
He alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN, which also published the now-defunct News Of The World.
The publisher has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.
In a hearing in July 2023, the High Court ruled that Harry’s case could go to trial, but that he could not bring a claim relating to phone hacking.
However the case could continue in relation to other other allegations including use of private investigators.
– Who else is involved?
Former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson is also suing NGN in this case.
Initially, there were others involved in the proceedings, which have been running for more than a decade, but 39 cases have been settled since July last year.
These include the claims of actor Hugh Grant, actress Sienna Miller, ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, comic Catherine Tate and Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm.
– Hasn’t this case already been dealt with?
In short, no. There have been a number of pre-trial hearings but there have also been a number of cases against other publishers.
A previous claim was against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over phone-hacking allegations.
In December 2023 Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that MGN used unlawful information gathering in 15 articles about the duke after a High Court trial, and awarded him £140,600 in damages.
The judge also said the publisher should pay so-called “generic” legal costs to the people currently involved in the legal action against MGN.
– What can we expect from the trial?
The case is expected to last up to 10 weeks.
A number of people will give evidence, including Harry. He will be cross-examined for several days in relation to the allegations.
The court will hear how Harry claims information was unlawfully gathered so it could be used to form the basis of news articles.
