Prince Harry's legal battle against the publisher of The Sun newspaper began at the High Court in London on Tuesday, according to reports.
The lawsuit alleges phone hacking and unlawful information-gathering activities carried out by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World between 1996 and 2011. The court will also examine whether senior executives were aware of or involved in these activities.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Duke of Sussex did not attend the trial's opening, which faced several delays. The proceedings are expected to last approximately six to eight weeks.
“The goal is accountability. It’s really that simple,” Prince Harry said during a press event in New York in December.
News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Sun, has previously denied any unlawful activity and has settled cases with several high-profile individuals, including Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller. These settlements reportedly amount to more than $1.5 billion in total payouts.
“This is a deeply personal battle for Prince Harry. It feels like a mission as much as a legal complaint,” BBC royal correspondent Sean Coughlan stated on Tuesday.
“His campaign against what he sees as the intrusions and abuses of the tabloid press is woven into his own personal story – with links to the loss of his mother, Diana, and to his decision to leave the U.K. While others have settled their claims against NGN, he has doggedly pursued this case, and now finally, he’s ready to have his claims heard in court.”
This trial marks the latest chapter in Prince Harry's ongoing confrontation with the British press. In 2022, a High Court judge in London ruled that parts of an article in The Mail on Sunday about Prince Harry’s legal claim against the British government’s Home Office were defamatory.