Prince Harry is set to appear in London’s High Court for the second day in a row today – but what is he doing there, and why is it such a big deal?
Here’s what you need to know.
What case is Prince Harry part of?
Harry is one of more than 100 claimants who have made a case against the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), alleging the tabloids it owns have used unlawful means to gather information about them.
That could include allegations that the newspapers hired private investigators or hacked their voicemails to retrieve personal information about them for stories.
Harry and just three other claimants – including Coronation Street actors Michael Turner and Nikki Sanderson, as well as the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, Fiona Wightman – will be taking to the witness stand as representative cases of the alleged phone-hacking.
MGN apologised at the start of the trial for one instance of gathering information via unlawful means about Harry – but has denied all allegations of voicemail interception.
The publisher alleges that some of the claims being brought have exceeded the legal time limit to pursue a challenge. It has also suggested some of the information it published came from sources within the Palace.
This is a test case meaning if these four claimants win, the judge will use it as a template for how much the publisher needs to pay in damages for other phone-hacking cases.
It’s also a civil lawsuit, meaning there is no jury. It is set to run until the end of June, but Harry will only be in the witness box this week.
What is Harry saying as part of his case?
In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex made a series of allegations about how he believes MGN illegally hacked his voicemail for stories about his personal life.
He explained that the press was a “large part” of why he and his wife Meghan Markle chose to leave the UK, said the media caused “paranoia” in all of his relationships and accused editors and journalists of having “blood” on their hands.
Harry also said that Piers Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror during a period when the royal believes phone-hacking was taking place, leaves him “physically sick” and that the Sussexes have been subject to “intimidation” from the broadcaster.
The royal went even further and attacked the government too, claiming it is “in bed” with the press, and made claims about his mother Princess Diana’s phone possibly being hacked before her death.
MGN’s barrister has been cross-examining Harry over 33 articles his legal team submitted as evidence of potential unlawful information gathering. His lawyers identified 148 stories overall, all published between 1996 and 2010, but only a small selection are being looked at in forensic detail in court.
Will Harry be in the witness box again?
The royal rebel does have two other separate phone-hacking cases against the Daily Mail publishers and The Sun publishers, but it’s not yet clear if they will go to trial. If they do, he may have to return to the witness box.
Harry and Meghan have filed at least six other lawsuits against newspaper organisations in recent years, according to news agency Reuters. In fact, only The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Financial Times are not linked to publishers who have faced some form of legal action from the Sussexes.
Harry has made it clear that it is his “life’s work” to change journalism as a profession, clearly removing himself from the Royal Family’s mantra of “never complain, never explain”.
The Duke is actually the first senior royal to get into the witness box since 1891. Edward VII’s appearance as a witness in a case about slander and possible cheating in a card game did his reputation no good. The Royal Family have tried to stay out of the courts since.
Harry – who left life as a working royal behind in 2020 – has made it clear that he will no longer bow to Palace tradition and keep quiet about matters he’s passionate about, such as journalistic practices.