Name: Prince Harry's war against British press reaches final showdown | REUTERS
Uploaded: 2026-01-19T17:07:48.000Z
Duration: 2 min 28 s
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The final instalment of Prince Harry's legal battles against the British press is underway in London.

Harry and six other claimants are suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the powerful Daily Mail.

The other claimants are actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, singer Elton John and his husband David Furnish, anti racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in 1993, and

They allege unlawful behaviour over years ranging from bugging phone lines to obtaining personal health records.

Associated has rejected any wrongdoing, calling the accusations preposterous smears and part of a conspiracy.

Harry has already successfully sued Mirror Group Newspapers.

He's also won damages, an apology and some admission of wrongdoing from Rupert Murdoch's newsgroup newspapers.

But the nine week trial with Associated could be the most significant.

The 130-year-old Daily Mail has for decades been arguably Britain's most powerful media force.

Its titles have not previously been embroiled in the phone hacking scandal that's hung over the British press for two decades.

But this trial, driven by some very determined complainants, could potentially breach the dam.

Damien Tambini is a media expert from the London School of Economics.

If this trial is unsuccessful on most or all of the points in contention, we might speculate that this could be a bit of a watershed.

This could be the moment when phone hacking really finally, as a set of issues went away.

Harry, whose mother, Princess Diana, died in a 1997 car crash with paparazzi in pursuit, has long resented the British media's often aggressive tactics.

He's said he's on a mission to clean up the press.

Critics say Harry is bitter over unfavorable coverage, from partying in his youth to quarrelling with his family.

Supporters say it's a noble cause against a sometimes immoral industry.

That's not just because reputations are on the line for both the media and the claimants.

It's also because the legal costs are set to run into the tens of millions.