Prince Harry accused of wasting court’s time – as Diana’s letters to Michael Barrymore read out
Mirror journalists listened in to voicemail messages from Princess Diana while Piers Morgan was editor of the newspaper, Prince Harry’s lawyer has claimed at the High Court, while detailing letters she wrote to former TV presenter Michael Barrymore.
Harry is attempting to prove that, for two decades, stories published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People were written about him using information that was illegally obtained through phone hacking and voicemail interception, blagging, and the use of private investigators.
The Duke of Sussex did not attend the opening of the hearing in London on Monday despite being in the country – much to the “surprise” of the judge, who had directed witnesses to be in court a day prior to giving evidence. Harry is set to do so on Tuesday.
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Harry’s court case explained
His absence was described as “extraordinary” by MGN’s lawyer Andrew Green, who accused his legal team of wasting the court’s time.
David Sherborne, acting for the duke, 38, said he had been celebrating his daughter Lilibet‘s second birthday and flown to the UK from Los Angeles after that.
The barrister told the court in his opening statement that Harry had “no time in his life when he was safe” from unlawful information-gathering. Nothing about his life was “sacrosanct or out of bounds”, Mr Sherborne said.
Diana’s letters to Barrymore
His opening included allegations that Princess Diana’s phone was also hacked, and he gave details of letters she wrote to comedian Michael Barrymore that revealed she had secret meetings with the star.
Mr Sherborne said that at the time, Barrymore was “struggling with coming out as gay” as well as an addiction to drink and drugs, and that Diana was meeting to comfort him through a difficult time.
In one letter, dated March 1997, she wrote: “Dear Michael, what joy it was to finally meet you tonight. I did want to emphasise that I’m here for you, whatever, whenever. It’s very easy to pop round and see you.”
In a later letter, she said she was “devastated” to hear the Mirror was telephoning her office to ask about “six meetings supposedly between us”.
“Nobody knew about our conversations/phone call. How deeply sorry I am [that] what I considered to be a private matter has become public property,” she wrote.
David Sherborne is acting for the Duke of Sussex
Mr Sherborne argued that “plainly the Daily Mirror has been listening in to the voicemail messages” between the pair.
He said that in former Mirror editor Piers Morgan’s book, The Insider, he refers to “rumours” that Diana was “secretly comforting” Barrymore and that he was being treated for alcohol addiction.
The lawyer argued the only way the Mirror could have found this out was through intercepting voicemails.
MGN has said it used documents, public statements and sources to legally report on the prince.
In his opening statement, Mr Green described the allegations about Diana as “total speculation” and “without any evidential basis whatsoever”.
He earlier told the court: “The defendant’s position is that there is simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis.”
Other key points from the opening statements:
- Mr Sherborne questioned why a number of journalists mentioned in the claimant’s case are not appearing in court to give evidence
- There were claims of alleged intrusion into the duke’s relationship with his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, the details of which are said to have been “revealed and picked apart” by the publisher’s titles
- Mr Green told the court that journalists would have been aware of the “enormous risk” of targeting Prince Harry and there is no evidence of unlawful activity
- Former Mirror journalist Anthony Harwood gave evidence, denying knowledge that another reporter was involved in unlawful information gathering
Media lawyer Jonathan Coad, who was in court alongside Sky News staff, said the Princess Diana claims were “a bit of a bombshell”.
He told Sky News: “The first allegations concerning both Princess Diana and Piers Morgan have arrived at the same time.
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“The allegation is that while Piers Morgan was the editor of the Mirror, Michael Barrymore and Princess Diana exchanged letters.
“She writes to Michael Barrymore. And in a second letter, she says, I’m so sorry, our secret meeting has been discovered.
“What David Sherborne is saying is that in the first letter, Princess Diana explained they’ll be speaking on the phone. And here’s my phone number.
“David Sherborne says that what’s obviously happened is that Barrymore left a message. They hacked it and they discovered about this secret meeting.”
The hearing continues.
Harry In Court – watch special programme on Sky News tonight at 9pm
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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