Prince Harry's lawyers back in court against Daily Mail publisher
Britain's Prince Harry walks to attend court, for his appeal against the rejection of his legal challenge to the British government's decision to take away his police protection when he is in Britain, outside the High Court in London, Britain, April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo
LONDON - Lawyers for Prince Harry were back in court in London on Tuesday, 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.
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. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair', expresses concern about Chinese influence
In recent days, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Mr Lee Jae-myung. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG WASHINGTON - The White House said on June 3 that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference. "The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing. "ROK" refers to the Republic of Korea. The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election. In recent days, however, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the United States. Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Mr Trump adviser, posted "RIP South Korea" on X on June 3 after Lee's victory became clear. "The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she wrote. "This is terrible," she added. Ms Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired in 2024 after she presented Mr Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House spoke about the two countries' alliance, also calling it "ironclad." He made no mention of concerns about China. "The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defence Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties," Mr Rubio said. "We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges." Mr Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.' As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier in 2025, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster. His backers adopted "Stop the Steal" slogans and expressed hopes that Mr Trump would intervene to help, but that never came. Last week, without providing evidence, Mr Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to "signs of fraud" in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. Another Mr Trump ally, Mr Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Higher metals tariffs kick in as deadline for ‘best' offers arrives
About a quarter of all steel used in the US is imported. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - The US tariff rate on most imported steel and aluminum will double on June 4 as President Donald Trump ratchets up a global trade war on the same day he expects trading partners to deliver their 'best offer' in bids to avoid punishing import tax rates on other goods from taking effect in early July. Mr Trump late on June 3 signed an executive proclamation that puts into effect from June 4 his surprise announcement last week that he was taking the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that had been in place since March to 50 per cent from 25 per cent. "We started at 25 and then after studying the data more, realized that it was a big help, but more help is needed. And so that is why the 50 is starting tomorrow," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in explaining the move at a steel industry conference in Washington on June 3. The increase comes into effect at 12.01 am (12.01pm in Singapore). The increase applies to all trading partners except Britain, the only country so far that has struck a preliminary trade agreement with the US during a 90-day pause on a wider array of Trump tariffs. The rate for steel and aluminum imports from the UK - which does not rank among the top exporters of either metal to the US - will remain at 25 per cent until at least July 9. About a quarter of all steel used in the US is imported, and Census Bureau data shows the increased levies will hit the closest US trading partners - Canada and Mexico - especially hard. They rank No. 1 and 3, respectively, in steel shipment volumes to the US. Canada is even more exposed to the aluminum levies as the top exporter to the US by far at roughly twice the rest of the top 10 exporters' volumes combined. The US gets about half of its aluminum from foreign sources. Prime Minister Mark Carney's office said Canada was 'engaged in intensive and live negotiations to have these and other tariffs removed.' The unexpected increase in the levies jolted the market for both metals this week, especially for aluminum, which has seen price premiums more than double so far in 2025. With little current capacity to increase domestic production, import volumes are likely to be unaffected unless the price increases undercut demand. 'Best offer' due date June 4 is also when the White House would like trading partners to submit their proposals for deals that might help them avoid Mr Trump's hefty 'Liberation Day' tariffs from taking effect in five weeks. Administration officials have been in active talks with a number of countries since Mr Trump announced a pause on those tariffs on April 9, but to date only the UK deal has come to fruition. Even that agreement, which provided the basis for the carve out from the metals tariffs, is more of a preliminary framework for more talks. With just weeks remaining, the Trump team is eager to bring more deals over the line. Reuters reported on June 2 that the US Trade Representative was asking countries to list their best proposals in a number of key areas, including tariff and quota offers for purchase of US industrial and agricultural products and plans to remedy any non-tariff barriers. In turn, the letter promises answers 'within days' with an indication of a 'landing zone,' including what tariff rates countries can be expected to be saddled with after a 90-day pause on the tariffs expires on July 8. At issue for most trading partners is whether they retain the current baseline rate of 10 per cent on most exports to the US after that date, or something sharply higher in many cases. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the report on June 3, saying: 'USTR sent this letter to all of our trading partners just to give them a friendly reminder that the deadline is coming up.' Other items requested by the Trump administration include any commitments on digital trade and economic security, along with country-specific commitments, according to the letter. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Straits Times
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair,' expresses concern about Chinese influence
In recent days, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Mr Lee Jae-myung. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG WASHINGTON - The White House said on June 3 that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference. "The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing. "ROK" refers to the Republic of Korea. The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election. In recent days, however, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the United States. Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Mr Trump adviser, posted "RIP South Korea" on X on June 3 after Lee's victory became clear. "The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she wrote. "This is terrible," she added. Ms Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired in 2024 after she presented Mr Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House spoke about the two countries' alliance, also calling it "ironclad." He made no mention of concerns about China. "The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defence Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties," Mr Rubio said. "We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges." Mr Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.' As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier in 2025, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster. His backers adopted "Stop the Steal" slogans and expressed hopes that Mr Trump would intervene to help, but that never came. Last week, without providing evidence, Mr Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to "signs of fraud" in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. Another Mr Trump ally, Mr Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
