Prince Harry returns to London for Daily Mail trial
LONDON (CBS, KYMA) - Britain's Prince Harry is back in London for the latest chapter in his court battle against tabloid newspapers that he says repeatedly invaded his privacy.
Harry traveled from California to testify in the latest trial.
King Charles' second son, arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice Monday morning, is one of seven high-profile plaintiffs, including music legend Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, actress Sadie Frost, a baroness, and a former British lawmaker.
The defendant: Associated Newspapers, owner of some of the U.K.'s most influential tabloids, The Daily Mail and other titles. They are accused of a sweeping pattern to illegal information gathering, hiring private investigators to hack phones and access private records.
"Harry's come over to the U.K. full of confidence for this case. I'm told from people close to him he's not really relishing the prospect of being in court all week," said Roya Nikkhah, a royal correspondent.
When asked if they gave any inkling whatsoever as to the source of his confidence, Nikkhah said, "He feels confident, that these allegations that Associated Newspapers strongly deny, there is basis for them...But we will see how it plays out over nine weeks."
Associated Newspapers has called the allegations preposterous smears, rejecting the claims as an attempt to drag the Mail titles into wrongdoing it insists its journalists were never involved in.
That contrasts with Harry's second legal case, settled a year ago in a multi-million dollar payout, against Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning News Group Newspapers, which apologized for "serious intrusion."
That followed the duke's first case in 2019 against the owners of The Mirror for phone hacking. The judge ruled in Harry's favor as a victim multiple times.
"If Harry loses this case, it's huge jeopardy for him...It's high stakes for Harry," Nikkhah expressed.
Nikkhah says if Harry wins, that still might not change how British tabloids operate and they may even be more emboldened.
Harry is expected to attend the trial most days this week, and is expected to take the stand this Thursday, but not expected to meet any of his family, King Charles, who's in Scotland, or his estranged brother, Prince William.
