United Kingdom: Harry and other celebrities take on the Daily Mail

March 31, 2026, 6:09 AM

United Kingdom: Harry and other British celebrities take on “Daily Mail”

These plaintiffs, including Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, accuse the “Daily Mail” of obtaining information about them illegally.

The lawyers of Prince Harry and six other personalities are claiming “substantial” damages from the publisher of the “Daily Mail,” whose trial for invasion of privacy before the High Court of London is set to conclude on Tuesday.

These plaintiffs, including Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, accuse Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), owner of the “Daily Mail” and the “Mail on Sunday,” of obtaining information about them illegally, including using private detectives.

They have given emotional testimonies during this trial that started more than two months ago, alleging that tabloids listened to private conversations or lied to obtain medical information.

“They are asking the Court to award substantial damages (…) to each of the plaintiffs for the abusive use of information of a private nature concerning them,” the lawyers stated in their final written submissions.

This is the latest trial brought against tabloids by Harry, younger son of Charles III, who has been waging a legal battle against the powerful British scandal press for several years.

Monstrous

Harry, who lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children, blames paparazzi for the death of his mother Diana in 1997 in Paris. He has also accused the press of harassing Meghan.

In tears at the trial in January, he accused tabloids of making his wife’s life “absolutely hellish.” He also described how the intrusion of newspapers into his private life made him “extremely paranoid.”

Harry, 41, stepped back from the royal family in 2020 and moved to the United States.

British actress Liz Hurley also broke down in tears, accusing tabloids of planting bugs on the windows of her house, describing their actions as “monstrous.”

Elton John also expressed his anger at the “heinous” violations of his privacy by these publications, accused of accessing medical data surrounding the birth of his son Zachary.

The trial is expected to conclude after the final arguments. The judge’s decision is likely to be announced at a later date.

By the Rules

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, David Sherborne, stated on Monday that the journalists from the “Daily Mail” who testified in court were unable to explain how they obtained the exclusive information in their articles.

Prince Harry and the other plaintiffs insist that their close ones would never have disclosed the private information revealed in a series of articles published between 2000 and 2015.

ANL strongly denies any illegal behavior, claiming that its journalists used legitimate means and sources of information.

The chief reporter of the “Daily Mail,” Sam Greenhill, called the accusations of phone tapping “complete nonsense” in court.

Another journalist, Barbara Jones, testified that she had found information about Harry’s former girlfriend by herself and never had to resort to a private detective.

However, American private detective Dan Portley-Hanks stated that he had worked for the “Daily Mail” on topics related to Prince Harry and admitted to engaging in illegal activities regarding him but couldn’t recall the details.

ANL argued that there was no evidence of these supposed confessions.