Prince Harry Returns to Final Tabloid Trial in High Court

LEAD: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, returned to London's High Court on Monday for the opening day of a nine-week trial in which he and six co-claimants accuse Associated Newspapers Ltd. of "clear, systematic and sustained" unlawful information gathering that allegedly involved private investigators bugging cars, intercepting voicemails and obtaining medical and phone records, attorney David Sherborne said in opening statements.

CONTEXT: The claimants — Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence, and former MP Simon Hughes — say the alleged conduct occurred between 1993 and 2011, and in some instances up to 2018, and was disclosed after private investigators including Gavin Burrows came forward in 2021, according to court filings.

RESPONSE: Associated Newspapers Ltd. denied wrongdoing as "preposterous" and said the claims are "guesswork" in written submissions and a statement to the court, while defense counsel Antony White KC told the court that 'leaky' friends, not unlawful investigator work, were a major source and witnesses will dispute the claimants' inferences, the company's lawyers said.

SCALE: The action, overseen by Mr Justice Nicklin, targets 14 articles across the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, could last up to 10 weeks and expose decades of editorial practice, and may generate legal costs of about £38 million, court papers say.

FORWARD: Prince Harry is expected to give live testimony on Thursday, the judge will reconsider Associated's statute-of-limitations defense after hearing evidence, and the case's resolution may hinge on conflicting sworn statements from private investigator Gavin Burrows, the parties said.