Prince Harry-Daily Mail trial live: Duke of Sussex arrives at High Court as he prepares for high-stakes legal battle

Actresses Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost were photographed outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Ms Hurley was seen arriving with her son Damian.

Prince Harry has just arrived at the High Court in London ahead of his case against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

The trial will start at 10.30am and last nine weeks.

The Duke of Sussex is one of seven prominent people to launch legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail, with a nine-week trial starting on Monday.

The group, which also includes Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, alleges Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) engaged in or commissioned illegal activities.

These reportedly include hiring private detectives to install listening devices in cars, “incrimination” of private recordings, and access to private phone conversations.

Timeline of the group’s claim against ANL:

Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon is known for her campaign following the racist attack in which her 18-year-old son Stephen Lawrence was killed in 1993.

The promising architect was stabbed to death by a group of up to six white youths while waiting at a bus stop on Well Hall Road in Eltham, south-east London.

The Daily Mail, under then editor Paul Dacre, was campaigning to bring Mr Lawrence’s killers to justice.

On the front page of the newspaper’s 14 February 1997 issue, the newspaper labeled five men – Gary Dobson, Neil Acourt, Jamie Acourt, Luke Knight and David Norris – as “murderers” and invited them to sue the newspaper for libel.

In January 2012, Dobson and Norris were convicted of participating in the attack and sentenced to life imprisonment after a forensic examination of the case found significant new scientific evidence regarding clothing seized from their home following the murder.

Lady Lawrence took her seat in the House of Lords in 2013.

The High Court previously heard the peer was “warned” of a possible legal claim by a message from Harry.

In her written submissions for the preliminary hearing in November 2024, ANL’s Catrin Evans KC said: “The case appears to have been considered by Baroness Lawrence immediately after the text reached her.”

Speaking to the BBC in September last year, Lady Lawrence said she was “in disbelief” when Harry contacted her.

He said: “It just floors you because you don’t expect it, but then you don’t expect it from someone like me.

“You know, all I’ve been trying to do for years is try to get justice for my son.”

Mr Justice Nicklin has already made several orders in this case; some of these are more important than others.

In November 2023, he rejected ANL’s bid to have the claims dismissed without a hearing, stating in a 95-page decision that the broadcaster had “failed to deliver a ‘knockout blow’ to the claims of any of these plaintiffs”.

In October last year, it ruled that ANL’s claim of “theft to order” could not stand trial.

At a hearing earlier the same month, Mr White made allegations that two Mail on Sunday journalists burgled Michael Ward’s home in 1992 and stole documents that were thrown out ahead of the trial.

And Mr Justice Nicklin, who presided over the case, agreed, saying in his judgment that “even if proven to be true, they could not assist the plaintiffs in resolving their claims fairly”.

In November 2023, the judge said legal challenges could not use information taken by the ANL into press standards in 2011 and 2012 from notebooks given to the Leveson Inquiry, unless given permission by the government.

But in March 2024, ministers said the Daily Mail’s confidential Leveson Inquiry documents about records of payments to private detectives could be disclosed in legal action.

As well as Harry, the plaintiffs include Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, actress Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and politician Sir Simon Hughes.

Harry and the other plaintiffs are all expected to present evidence; The Duke’s term in the witness box will be on Thursday. Sir Elton and Mr Furnish are expected to give evidence remotely.

ANL lawyers are expected to call a number of witnesses to testify, including former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.

The trial, which is expected to last nine weeks, will begin with both sides opening and presenting each plaintiff’s case with supporting witnesses, after which ANL will present its defence.

The trial of claims brought by the Duke of Sussex and several other high-profile figures against the Daily Mail publisher over alleged illegal dossier collection will begin in the High Court on Monday.

Harry, Sir Elton John, husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are taking action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

The group alleges that the broadcaster carried out or commissioned illegal activities such as hiring private detectives to plant listening devices in cars, “spoofing” private recordings, and accessing private phone conversations.

The group’s attorney, David Sherborne, said at the hearing that the illegal acts in the claim included illegally intercepting voicemail messages, tapping live landline calls and obtaining medical records.

In his written submissions, he said: “These cover a period from 1993 to 2011 and even continue into 2018.”

ANL, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.