Harry lawyers must disclose ‘payment' documents in Mail publisher case
They have accused the publisher of conducting or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to tap phones, 'blagging' private records, and burglaries to order.
The group also includes actress Sadie Frost, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence and politician Sir Simon Hughes.
ANL denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'.
At a hearing in May, lawyers for ANL asked the court in London to order the group's legal team to 'search for and disclose any documents that relate to payments, royalties or inducements paid, provided or offered, or any demands or threats made, in order to obtain documents, information or other co-operation'.
Antony White KC, for ANL, said a limited number of documents had been disclosed, which showed that 'payments were made or offered' to 'procure evidence and invoices'.
In a ruling handed down on Friday, Mr Justice Nicklin said: 'I am satisfied that documents held by the claimants that can support a case that a witness has been paid or offered other inducement for their evidence, whether directly or indirectly, should be disclosed.
'That is because there is a real prospect that Associated will be able to rely upon this evidence to attack the credibility of such witnesses.
'Ultimately, the issue of whether the payment or inducement does affect the credibility of any witness is a matter to be resolved at trial.'
He added: 'In this case, the stance adopted by the claimants has been undermined by their inconsistent and incoherent approach to disclosure of documents relating to payments to potential witnesses and/or other inducements.'
Mr Justice Nicklin also ordered that lawyers for the claimants should conduct searches to identify and hand over documents ANL could rely on 'in advancing a case that potential witnesses have been given or offered financial incentives to provide information or evidence in support of allegations' of unlawful information gathering (UIG).
The group bringing the case had asked the judge to order ANL to unredact some of the documents the company had provided for the legal proceedings.
Mr Justice Nicklin ordered that 'targeted' un-redactions be made where necessary to assess whether certain journalists had a pattern of engaging in UIG.
He said: 'In my judgment, considering Associated's denials of wrongdoing, the claimants are entitled to explore whether they can advance a case, with a real prospect of success, that the pleaded journalists have a propensity to engage in UIG.'
A trial of the claims is expected to start in January and last for nine weeks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Duolingo in trans row after criticising JK Rowling in German lesson
Language-teaching app Duolingo has been accused of letting gender ideology 'infect' its language classes after criticising JK Rowling in a German lesson. In a session for intermediate-level students, users had to select the correct response – written in German – to the question: 'Do you like books with Harry Potter as a character?' The correct response was: 'Yes, but in my opinion the author is mean.' The wrong alternative answer said: 'Yes, you're right. I'm interested in sports.' A spokesman for the app later said: 'We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app.' Gaby Koppel, a freelance TV producer, wrote on X: 'Shame on you @duolingo: learning German and I came across the sentence 'Yes I like Harry Potter but the author is mean'. How woke do you have to be to let #trans ideology infect a language lesson?' Duolingo is the most popular language app in the world, with 34.1 million daily active users, according to company figures. Ms Koppel, who said she started taking the German classes because her father had been born in the country, told The Telegraph: 'It's gratuitous – how is Rowling relevant to learning German?' She said the Harry Potter author was the 'first and only real life person' that had been 'picked out for criticism' in the nearly five months of classes she had taken using the app, adding: 'Not Putin, not the Ayatollahs, but somebody who happens to take a gender-critical stance.' It comes after Rowling wrote on X on Tuesday: 'Thinking of setting up an annual prize to celebrate the most craven, bootlicking capitulation to the Gender Taliban by a supposedly liberal organisation.' She said that the Polari Prize was a 'strong contender for 2025' after bosses 'paused' it following its boycotting over nominating a gender-critical author. The awards came under fire after its longlist included Earth, a novella by John Boyne, a self-described 'Terf'. More than 800 writers and publishing workers have signed a statement objecting to Boyne's nomination, while 10 nominees have withdrawn their names in protest. Boyne, the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, is an outspoken critic of gender ideology and wrote an article defending Rowling's views on trans issues and women's rights. On Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon suggested Rowling should be subjected to 'more scrutiny' on trans issues after a war of words between the pair resumed amid the publication of the former first minister's memoir. Rowling was a vocal critic of the gender self-ID reforms championed by Ms Sturgeon, famously donning a T-shirt which branded her a 'destroyer of women's rights'. Ms Sturgeon said the post made her feel 'more at risk of possible physical harm' in an interview with BBC's Newscast to promote the book. She told BBC Radio Ulster: 'JK Rowling is absolutely entitled to her view, maybe putting herself up for a bit more scrutiny about her view would be helpful, but I don't criticise her for expressing her view.' Another free speech row erupted last week after an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe by Kate Forbes, Scotland's Deputy First Minister and a devout Christian. Summerhall Arts, the venue that hosted the event, issued an apology to other performers and said the booking was an 'oversight'. The same day it emerged that the National Library of Scotland had removed a gender-critical book from an exhibition after staff complained. The library removed The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht, a collection of essays by feminists, including Rowling, about their fight against Ms Sturgeon's gender self-ID laws. The book had been selected to be included in a major exhibition celebrating the library's centenary.
Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Meghan Markle questioned over silence as Harry leaves 'secret' letter at royal event
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Prince Harry is reportedly making earnest efforts to mend fences with the Royal family, while Meghan has remained silent following his latest peace offering. It has come to light that just a few days ago, the Duke left a letter at a Royal event attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla. He reportedly asked a friend to subtly leave a note and a wreath of red poppies at the Burma Star Memorial, in honour of the national VJ Day commemorations. Interestingly, the letter was placed after Charles and Camilla had departed, so as not to detract from the service, which paid tribute to the sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and perished in the Pacific and Far East. Meanwhile, Meghan's signature was absent from the letter. This isn't the first time she's maintained her silence in recent weeks, leading experts to question why she hasn't voiced support for her husband amidst a 'devastating' boardroom dispute. Earlier this year, the Duke resigned from Sentebale, the charity he established to assist children orphaned by Aids in Lesotho, following a tense confrontation with the chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka, reports the Mirror. Harry was reportedly heartbroken by the disagreement, which resulted in all parties being reprimanded by the Charity Commission for allowing the dispute to become so public. Many anticipated Meghan to publicly support Harry. However, her continued silence has raised eyebrows among Royal observers. (Image: PA) In her latest Instagram post, Meghan Markle chose to sidestep the ongoing controversy. The 44 year old Duchess shared a video on Tuesday in which she is seen preparing and serving a lemon pasta spaghetti dish; before this, she promoted the forthcoming second series of With Love Meghan. Dr Tessa Dunlop, an expert, told the Mirror: "Now that Meghan and Harry have signed a new Netflix deal ('looser' and apparently less lucrative than the previous $78m one but a deal nonetheless), might the Duchess find her voice?". "Not the one she volubly uses to hawk As Ever wares (in conjunction with Netflix) but rather the voice Meghan famously re-found after leaving the Royal Family, the one that talked her truth to Royal power and surely could talk her truth to the Sentebale fiasco?". "No, really, why hasn't Meghan come out batting for Prince Harry in his latest round of verbal fisty-cuffs concerning his former African charity? After all, the Duke has consistently spoken out in support of his wife, establishing the precedent early on and against the wishes of his family when he condemned Britain's media coverage and insisted he had never before witnessed such a 'degree of pressure, scrutiny and harassment' from the press. "As it currently stands, Harry cuts a lonely figure. The Charity Commission 'identified a 'strong perception of ill treatment' swirling in the unhappy waters of his former charity, Sentebale. It was a terse ruling that exonerated no one; all parties remain incandescent, particularly the aggrieved prince, who insists the report has fallen 'troublingly short'. "In other words, the Duke of Sussex's nemesis, Dr Sophie Chanduka, is still at large, running Harry's former beloved Sentebale. The Duke could really do with some public TLC, especially from his wife, whose own issues with said Dr Chanduka were allegedly caught on camera at a polo match Sentebale fundraiser." This follows the confirmation by Harry and Meghan that they have extended their deal with Netflix, having signed a new "multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects". While the Duchess was quick to celebrate the signing, experts suggested that the deal represents a step down for the couple.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
GCSE results: Prince William, Kate Middleton and Harry's scores - and royal who failed
Like thousands of teenagers across the country, the royal family have had to endure the nervous waits for their GCSE grades after taking the exams, but not everyone pulled off a stellar grade Like many nervous student across the country, even members of the Royal Family had to sit in the exam hall and knuckle down on their studies. As anxious students from all over the UK prepare to open their GCSE exam results today, it's worth remembering even the royals were once in their position. Despite attending some of the best schools around with access to world-class tutors, they too will have felt felt the dread of not knowing what was in the envelope. We take a look at who the brainiest royals are in the family, and which decided academia wasn't quite for them and what they did once they received their marks. Prince William and Prince Harry The future King Prince William has proven to be one of the brainiest members of the Firm. William spent five years at Ludgrove Prep School in Berkshire before attending prestigious boy's school Eton College. Wills managed to walk out with 12 GCSEs - and his results appear to have been very impressive. While it's not known exactly what grades William got, they were strong enough for him to go on to study his A-levels. He achieved As in Geography and History of Art and a C in Biology, which earned him a place at the prestigious St Andrews University. Prince Harry, despite attending Eton like his older brother, wasn't as academically inclined. The young Royal was a sports captain and represented the school in rugby, polo and cricket. He still managed to secure an impressive 11 GCSEs and went on to study A-levels. After achieving a B in Art and D in Geography, Harry decided that further education wasn't for him. Instead of heading to university, Harry chose to join the Army. Kate Middleton The Princess of Wales completed her GCSEs at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, one of the country's top private schools and also where Princess Eugenie studied during her teenage years. Kate achieved 11 GCSEs before going on to score As in Maths and Art and a B in English for her A-levels. Like William, Kate took a gap year before heading to university. She then attended St Andrews University to study History of Art, where she met her future husband. Meghan Markle Raised in the US, Meghan Markle didn't follow the same educational path as the Royal Family. While we don't have specific details about her academic performance, we know she was a talented and popular student. Meghan began her secondary education at Immaculate Heart High School in 1992, where she was recognised as a diligent and focused pupil. America doesn't use GCSEs or A-levels for student assessments like the UK, and while Meghan's SAT scores (the American university entrance exam) haven't been disclosed, it's known that she achieved the necessary grades to secure a university place. She went on to earn a double major in Theatre and International Relations from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 2003. During her university years, Meghan undertook an internship at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she picked up Spanish. She also studied French for six years. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie As for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the York sisters performed well in their GCSEs, but Eugenie outshone her sister when it came to grades. Princess Beatrice secured nine GCSEs including two A*s. Her top grades were in history and drama, and she also scored As in French and art, with Bs in all other subjects. Eugenie achieved two A*s, four As and three Bs at the private Marlborough College in Wiltshire. At the time, a spokeswoman for her mother, Sarah Ferguson, said: "She's feeling relieved and really happy." King Charles The late Queen and Prince Philip chose to send their children to Gordonstoun, a notoriously strict Scottish boarding school that blends academic learning with physical education. It's well-known that Charles had a tough time at school and didn't enjoy his experience there. He left with five O-levels (the old equivalent of GCSEs) and two A-levels - a B in History and a C in French. He then proceeded to Cambridge University where he secured a 2:2 degree in History. Princess Diana Princess Diana wasn't as academically gifted as her sons would later prove to be, and she actually failed her exams. She sat O-levels instead of GCSEs but didn't pass, even after two attempts. However, she quickly discovered her true talents - finishing school. She attended a school in Switzerland and excelled in deportment.
