Prince Harry's lawyers back in court against Daily Mail publisher, Entertainment News
LONDON — Lawyers for Prince Harry were back in court in London on Tuesday (May 6), days after he lost a legal fight with the government over his security arrangements and gave an emotional interview in which he said his father King Charles no longer spoke to him.
Along with singer Elton John and five other high-profile British figures, Harry is suing Associated Newspapers (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid, alleging widespread unlawful behaviour.
They accuse ANL of serious privacy breaches dating back 30 years, ranging from tapping their phones and bugging their homes to obtaining medical records by deception. Among those they say were involved are current national newspaper editors and other senior press figures.
ANL, which publishes the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, has denied involvement in unlawful practices and described the "lurid claims made by Prince Harry and others" as "simply preposterous".
David Sherborne, the lawyer representing the seven claimants, said a two-day hearing which started on Tuesday would focus on issues relating to the disclosure of further material before a full trial expected next year.
[[nid:716115]]
Sherborne said disclosure so far had shown "widespread use of unlawful information gathering across the titles by journalists and various desks, but the approach to disclosure has allowed only a partial picture of the wrongdoing".
ANL's lawyers said the claimants had not provided any disclosure to substantiate their allegations and argued in court filings that the claimants had given "no further particulars… of the allegations of hacking, tapping, blagging or perjury". 'Devastated'
Harry, Charles' younger son, lost an appeal against the government on Friday over the decision to remove his right to automatic police protection while in Britain.
Harry, who lives in California with his American wife Meghan and their two children, said the decision left him "devastated".
He said in a BBC interview that while he wanted reconciliation with his family, his father would not speak to him because of the security issue.
Charles is undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, said he did not know "how much longer my father has".
Since moving to the United States, Harry and Meghan have criticised the royals in television documentaries, in an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey and in Harry's biography "Spare", accusing senior aides of colluding with tabloids to smear him.
In a statement after Friday's ruling, Harry said the royal establishment had "preyed" on his mother Prince Diana, openly campaigned to remove his security and "continue to incite hatred towards me, my wife and even our children".
Buckingham Palace has not commented on Harry's statement or interview other than to say all the issues surrounding the prince's police protection had been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts.
The king and other senior royals made public appearances on Monday at commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Royal officials said they did not want anything to detract from that.
Harry stepped down from royal life in March 2020. Since then he has successfully sued Mirror Group Newspapers and settled a claim against Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper group after it admitted unlawful behaviour including intruding into Diana's private life.
[[nid:716584]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Chinese researchers charged with smuggling fungus into US
The Justice Department said the pair conspired to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the US that causes 'head blight,' a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Two Chinese scientists have been charged with allegedly smuggling a toxic fungus into the United States that they planned to research at an American university, the US Justice Department said on June 3. Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement. Jian is in US custody while Liu's whereabouts are unknown. The Justice Department said the pair conspired to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the United States that causes 'head blight,' a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice. The fungus is classified in scientific literature as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon,' it said, and causes billions of dollars in losses each year. It causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock, it said. According to the complaint, Jian and Liu, her boyfriend, had both previously conducted work on the fungus in China. '(Liu) first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America... so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,' the Justice Department said. US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr described the smuggling of the fungus into the United States as a 'national security' concern and emphasised Jian's membership in the Chinese Communist Party. 'These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,' Mr Gorgon said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed last week to 'aggressively revoke visas' for Chinese students, a move condemned by Beijing as 'unreasonable' and 'discriminatory.' Dr Kseniia Petrova, a scientist from Russia at Harvard, is facing potential deportation after she failed to declare biological samples in her luggage upon returning from a trip to Paris. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Pentagon chief orders renaming of ship named for gay icon: Reports
WASHINGTON - Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the renaming of a US Navy ship named after a gay icon, the assassinated former San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, a military affairs website reported June 3. said it had reviewed a memo from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy that said the move was in line with Mr Hegseth's purported goal of 're-establishing a warrior culture' in the US armed forces. quoted an unidentified defence official as saying that Navy Secretary John Phelan had been ordered by Mr Hegseth to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, and the timing of the upcoming announcement - during LGBTQ WorldPride month – was intentional. CBS News said the navy is considering re-titling several other ships including two named after former US Supreme Court justices – Mr Thurgood Marshall, the first Black member of the top court, and liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Responding to the reports, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said 'any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete'. 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all (Department of Defence) installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos,' Mr Parnell said in a statement. Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, condemned the reported move to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, calling it 'a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream'. 'Harvey Milk proudly served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and was a formidable force for change – not just in California, but in our country,' the California congresswoman said in a statement. 'This spiteful move... is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honour the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.' Mr Milk served as a US Navy diver at a time when there was a ban on homosexuality in the military. One of the first openly gay politicians in America, Mr Milk was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, where he was instrumental in passing laws banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Months later, in 1978, Mr Milk was shot dead along with mayor George Moscone, by a disgruntled former city supervisor. Mr Milk's murder helped cement his reputation as a civil rights icon, and he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The USNS Harvey Milk, a 227m refuelling vessel, was christened at a ceremony in 2021 attended by then-secretary of the navy Carlos Del Toro. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has moved to ban transgender troops from the military and to dismantle diversity programs, claiming they 'undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness'. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Carlos Alcaraz flattens Tommy Paul to reach French Open semis, Lorenzo Musetti through
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Tommy Paul of the US. PHOTO: AFP PARIS - Carlos Alcaraz continued his French Open title defence with a display of breathtaking brutality for a 6-0 6-1 6-4 victory over American 12th seed Tommy Paul and a spot in the Roland Garros semi-finals on June 3. The second seed has searched in vain for his usual sublime form on Parisian clay this year, needing four sets in his last three matches to dismiss determined opponents, but he had no trouble on a balmy evening on Court Philippe Chatrier. "It was like I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. "My feeling was unbelievable, I tried to hit my shots at 100%... today was just one of those matches where everything went in. "We were in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros and these matches aren't easy. I've lost to him twice and against Tommy, matches are very difficult. That helped me focus on my tennis and try not to go down or let him get into the match." Alcaraz motored through the opening set without dropping a game and grabbed his fourth break early in the second set after sparing Paul the ignominy of another bagel and the 22-year-old pulled further away to double his lead in only 53 minutes. He glided across the red clay while delivering punishing shots, knocking the racket out of Paul's hands at one point with a thunderous effort, before finally facing some resistance in the third set. Former junior French Open champion Paul stayed level with Alcaraz until 4-4 but soon faded away and the holder closed out the victory to book a clash with Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals. Musetti, 23, battled past American Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 against the 15th seed after over two hours 45 minutes. For both Musetti and Tiafoe – twice a US Open semi-finalist – it was a first last-eight appearance at Roland Garros. And both struggled to find their feet. 'It was pretty windy and not that easy to find the right feelings with the ball, but I managed to win this incredible third set, which was probably the key of the match,' said the Italian. Musetti's serve proved to be a major weapon on the day as he fired down eight aces with an 81 per cent success rate on his first serve in gusty conditions in Paris. He also saved two of the three break points engineered by Tiafoe, who had 51 unforced errors to the Italian's 32. Italy's Lorenzo Musetti speaking to the US' Frances Tiafoe after winning their quarter-final match. PHOTO: REUTERS The Italian is now 13-4 at Roland Garros, where he will contest his second Grand Slam semi-final following his run to the same stage at Wimbledon in 2024. 'A lot of junk shots today,' said Tiafoe of his own performance. 'Yeah, he was just tougher in the winning-ugly department, because it wasn't going to be clean from either of us. It was really, really windy and tough conditions.' REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
