Prince Harry at High Court for phone-tapping and privacy case

Published

1 year ago

March 27, 2023

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Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance at the High Court as legal proceedings began in a phone-tapping and privacy case involving Associated Newspapers.

It is believed to be the first time the Duke of Sussex has been back in the UK since the funeral last September of his grandmother, the Queen.

He is among a group of claimants making accusations against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper.

Associated Newspapers denies the allegations and a preliminary High Court hearing starting today will consider legal arguments, and a judge will decide whether it will go any further.

Prince Harry court case – live: Harry unexpectedly turns up

Footage showed a smiling prince flanked by bodyguards arriving at at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, dressed in a suit, tie and black winter coat, and surrounded by journalists.

At one point, he bumped into a photographer as he walked through the gates of the courthouse.

As proceedings got under way, Harry sat towards the back of the courtroom, occasionally writing in a small black notebook.

‘Harry doesn’t need to be at the High Court today’

The 38-year-old’s return to the UK comes amid tensions with Buckingham Palace over bombshell disclosures made in his controversial memoir, Spare, in which he laid bare his troubled relationship with his father, King Charles, and brother William, the Prince of Wales.

Harry is not expected to be seeing his family. Buckingham Palace has said the King is not in Windsor or London and will be leaving for a state visit to Germany on Wednesday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are away for the Easter school holidays.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly been invited to the King’s coronation on 6 May – which falls on their son Archie’s sixth birthday.

But it is not yet known if they will attend after being asked to “vacate” Frogmore Cottage, their UK home, which was gifted to the couple by the Queen.

Sky’s arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer, at the High Court, said: “Absolutely nobody was expecting this because really there is no need for Prince Harry to be appearing in court this week.

“I tried to put a question to him about why he was here today and he ignored me pretty much and just said ‘good morning’.

“The first signs we got that he may be turning up were barriers went up outside and a couple of police vans turned up.”

She added: “The prince has spoken about the fact that he wants to make this his life’s work – that there are people who should be held accountable for violating his and his family’s privacy.

“He’s here today, he wants the world to know he is very serious about this, and he wants this to go to trial.”

Who is involved in the court case?

Harry is bringing the action along with others including actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, pop star Sir Elton John and his husband, filmmaker David Furnish, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon OBE.

Sir Elton and Frost were also in court for Monday’s proceedings – the start of a four-day hearing.

They allege they have been victims of “abhorrent criminal activity” and “gross breaches of privacy” by Associated Newspapers Limited – and announced in October they were bringing claims for misuse of private information against ANL, also the publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline.

It is alleged the unlawful acts included hiring private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside cars and homes, the recording of private phone conversations, accessing bank accounts through illicit means and paying police officials for inside information.

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‘Preposterous smears’

David Sherborne, representing Harry and the other high-profile individuals, said in written submissions to the High Court the allegations included “illegally intercepting voicemail messages, listening into live landline calls, obtaining private information such as itemised phone bills or medical records by deception or ‘blagging’, using private investigators to commit these unlawful information gathering acts on their behalf and even commissioning the breaking and entry into private property”.

“They range through a period from 1993 to 2011, even continuing beyond until 2018,” the barrister added.

Some details of singer-songwriter Sir Elton and his husband’s case against ANL were also revealed. The court heard they found the unexplained disclosure of their private information in the press “frightening” and as a result have someone watching cameras in their home every night.

Prince Harry v Associated Newspapers: What is alleged?

Prince Harry is among a group of claimants including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, accusing the publisher of breaches of privacy including phone-tapping and bugging people’s homes.

Accusations include:

• The hiring of private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside people’s cars and homes

• The commissioning of individuals to surreptitiously listen into and record people’s live, private telephone calls while they were taking place

• The payment of police officials, with corrupt links to private investigators, for inside, sensitive information

• The impersonation of individuals to obtain medical information from private hospitals, clinics, and treatment centres by deception

• The accessing of bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation

Lawyers representing ANL told the hearing, before Mr Justice Nicklin, the privacy claims are “stale” and should be dismissed without trial.

Adrian Beltrami KC, in written submissions, argued that the legal actions have been brought too late.

Quoting from Harry’s letter of claim, he continued: “Indeed, the Duke was aware throughout this period of the intense interest in his life shown by the media and by Associated, of ‘strange things happening around his phone communications’, of ‘unexplained disclosures of private information’ in Associated’s publications and of journalists from Associated ‘regularly turning up at different locations which you would never expect them to, including South Africa… despite the extreme lengths my security team and I went to in order to protect my security and privacy’.”

ANL has previously described the accusations as “preposterous smears” and a “pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone-hacking scandal”.

A spokesperson for the publisher has also said the allegations are “unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims, based on no credible evidence”.

Who else is Prince Harry taking to court?

It is the latest of several cases brought against the tabloid press by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over the last few years, and this is just one of several cases Prince Harry is involved in.

The duke has an ongoing libel case against Associated Newspapers over an article about his security arrangements in the Mail on Sunday – which the paper says was based on “honest opinion”.

In May, his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, over accusations of phone hacking between 1996 and 2011, will go to trial.

He is also suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun newspapers (as well as the now-defunct News of the World) for alleged phone-hacking.

The Sun has always denied phone-hacking took place at the paper, and the publisher has not admitted any unlawful conduct at the title.

Entertainment

Hannah Waddingham hits back at photographer over ‘show leg’ request on Olivier Awards red carpet

Published

11 hours ago

April 15, 2024

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Hannah Waddingham hits back at photographer over 'show leg' request on Olivier Awards red carpet

Olivier Awards presenter Hannah Waddingham has made headlines for hitting back at a photographer who appears to have asked her to “show leg”.

In a video posted by a fan on X, Waddingham, 49, was heard scolding a photographer over a comment which cannot be heard but is inferred to have been a demand for her to show more skin.

“Oh my God, you’d never say that to a man, my friend,” the Ted Lasso actress said, before adding: “Don’t be a dick or I’ll move off. Don’t say, ‘show your leg’.”

Waddingham walks off before turning around and pointing her finger saying: “Have some manners”.

The incident happened as Waddingham posed on the red carpet ahead of the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night.

According to the person recording the incident, “Hannah was being her gorgeous self” when the photographer “made some comment about her leg”.

They added: “Well, the video speaks for itself. This woman is a role model. Always, always call pricks out on their bullshit.”

‘What a queen’

Fans heaped praise on the actress, with one commenting on the video saying: “What a queen – just when I thought I couldn’t love her more!”

One Ted Lasso fan commented on Waddingham’s rebuke of the photographer’s apparent demand saying: “This is boss.”

Another X user praised the actress for her “class” saying it “will always stand out, well done Hannah”.

Waddingham, whose own work on the West End received three Olivier award nominations, presented the prestigious theatre awards for the second year in a row.

Olivier award winners

Sunset Boulevard dominated the Olivier awards, winning seven of its 11 nominations at the star-studded ceremony on Sunday night.

Among the show’s triumphs were the best actor and best actress in a musical awards for its leading duo Tom Francis and Nicole Scherzinger, the former Pussycat Doll and Britain’s Got Talent judge.

The Best actor award went to former Sherlock and Game Of Thrones actor Mark Gatiss for his role in Jack Thorne’s The Motive And The Cue.

Succession star Sarah Snook beat fellow nominee Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker to take home the best actress award for her West End debut performance in The Picture Of Dorian Gray.

Entertainment

Blur’s Damon Albarn tells lacklustre Coachella crowd ‘you’ll never see us again’

Published

11 hours ago

April 15, 2024

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Blur's Damon Albarn tells lacklustre Coachella crowd 'you'll never see us again'

It started with a gentle “I need your participation, please”, as Blur frontman Damon Albarn sought an audience singalong during a Coachella performance.

But as the British rock band were consistently met with near-silence, an increasingly frustrated Albarn eventually remarked: “You’ll never see us again”.

The English band have released nine albums since its formation in 1988, seven of which reached No 1 in the charts, including their latest record, The Ballad of Darren, which was produced following an eight-year break.

But some of their hits did not seem to resonate with audiences at the world-famous Coachella festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, over the weekend.

During their Saturday slot, the group, part of a star-studded line-up, performed a host of their hits including Song 2, Beetlebum and Tender.

As the band struck up the chords to their 1994 hit Girls & Boys, lead singer Albarn, 56, tried to encourage the crowd to sing along to the chorus, saying: “I need your participation, please.”

In videos shared on social media, he can be seen attempting to engage the concert-goers a number of times, telling them “you can do it better than that”, but his efforts continued to receive a lacklustre response from the US crowd.

The musician appeared to get increasingly frustrated until he told the audience: “You’ll never see us again so you may as
well f****** sing it.”

Dressed in a white suit and a black T-shirt paired with a pair of black sunglasses, Albarn led the band, which also includes guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.

Blur have released nine albums in total, including 1994’s Parklife, 1995’s The Great Escape, 1997’s Blur, 1999’s 13, 2003’s Think Tank and 2015’s The Magic Whip – which all went to number one in the charts.

The group helped pioneer the Britpop genre, fiercely competing with rival band Oasis in the charts over the years.

They went on hiatus after their 2015 Magic Whip tour, but came back last year with their first record for eight years, titled The Ballad Of Darren, which soared to number one.

Singer-songwriter Raye and dance outfit Jungle were also among the British acts who took to the Coachella stage over the weekend.

London-born Raye teased her next music project during her set, the follow-up to her award-winning debut album My 21st Century Blues.

Last month, she overtook Blur, Harry Styles and Adele by picking up the most Brit awards in one year during the 2024 ceremony.

Entertainment

Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez jailed over fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set

Published

11 hours ago

April 15, 2024

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Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez jailed over fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set

The weapons supervisor for the film Rust has been jailed for 18 months following the fatal shooting of the film’s cinematographer on set.

Hannah Gutierrez, 26, was sentenced today after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, following a trial.

She was in charge of weapons during the production of the western film in October 2021, when a Colt 45 revolver fired by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died following the incident, while director Joel Souza was injured.

Jurors sitting on Gutierrez’s trial reached their verdict after a two-week trial during which they heard evidence from dozens of witnesses, including eyewitnesses, FBI evidence analysts and an ammunition supplier to Rust, as well as Mr Souza, during a 10-day trial.

A statement from Ms Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, was read aloud to the court during Gutierrez’s sentencing.

In it, she said her life had been split in two and that time didn’t heal, rather it only prolonged her pain and suffering.

“It’s the hardest thing to lose a child. There are no words to describe,” Ms Solovey, who is from Ukraine, said.

‘You turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon’

Handing Gutierrez the maximum sentence, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said a conditional discharge was not appropriate and that leaving the weapons supervisor in a detention centre would “bring you a pass you do not deserve”.

“I did not hear you take responsibility in your allocution, you said you were sorry but not you were ‘sorry for what you did’. It was your attorney that had to tell the court you were remorseful,” the judge said.

“The term remorse, a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs, that’s not you.”

She said Gutierrez’s actions amounted to a “serious, violent offence” that was “committed in a physically violent manner”.

“You were the armourer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone. You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon,” the judge added.

“If not for you, Ms Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner and a little boy would have his mother.”

Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set where it was prohibited and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.

They had urged the judge to impose an 18-month sentence and designate Gutierrez-Reed as a “serious violent offender” to limit her eligibility for a sentence reduction later.

But defence lawyers said the weapons supervisor will forever be affected negatively by intense publicity associated with her prosecution in parallel with an A-list actor, and has suffered from anxiety, fear and depression as a result.

After the verdict, her legal team had requested a new trial and asked for her to be released from prison.

What is happening with Baldwin’s case?

Baldwin, 66, a producer for the film as well as its star, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter and faces a separate trial on 10 July. He has denied any wrongdoing.

His trial is being overseen by the same judge who sentenced Gutierrez-Reed.

Baldwin was originally charged in January 2023, more than a year after the shooting. Those charges were dropped a few months later based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might have been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled.

The star was then charged again in January this year.

Baldwin has said he pulled back the gun’s hammer – but not the trigger – and the weapon fired.

His legal team has filed a motion calling for the charges to be dropped once again. Prosecutors responded to this last week, filing a 32-page document which claims that footage of the star on set shows he had “absolutely no control of his own emotions” and “no concern for how his conduct” affected those around him.

Assistant director David Halls, who also faced charges, entered a plea bargain for negligent use of a deadly weapon last year, receiving a six-month suspended sentence.

Filming of Rust resumed last year in Montana – with Baldwin reprising his role as the main character – after an agreement made Ms Hutchins’ widower an executive producer.