Prince Harry trial: What were the articles at the centre of the Duke of Sussex hacking trial?
At the centre of Prince Harry’s High Court battle with Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) were a selection of 33 articles dated between 1996 and 2009.
The stories, published in the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People, covered the Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his family and ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, his military service, injuries and illnesses, and allegations of drug use.
Mr Justice Fancourt found that 15 out of the 33 articles were the product of phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.
Follow latest: Prince Harry v Mirror group
The judge said Harry’s phone was “hacked to a modest extent”, which was probably “carefully controlled by certain people at each newspaper” and happened on occasions from about the end of 2003 to April 2009.
Drugs allegations
The judge found articles relating to Harry’s alleged drug taking had likely been the product of unlawful information gathering.
“Harry took drugs” and “Cool it Harry” – Sunday Mirror on 13 January 2002
Harry said that whilst this article, which contained allegations he had smoked cannabis, was a follow-up to stories in the News of the World, there were invoices concerning his friend Guy Pelly and people connected to the story at the time.
MGN denied any unlawful information gathering and said that news agencies, a freelance journalist, and a source were paid for the articles.
“Harry’s cocaine ecstasy and GHB parties” – The Mirror on 14 January 2002
This front-page story claimed that some of the duke’s friends had taken “hard drugs” in front of him, including ecstasy, cocaine and GHB, reporting that the Prince of Wales – now the King – was “terrified”.
Harry said in his evidence “it is not clear to me where the defendant’s journalists could have possibly obtained these quotes from”. But MGN denied unlawful activity and said there is no evidence of phone hacking.
In relation to both stories, Mr Justice Fancourt said: “I find that it is very likely that unlawful methods were used, including voicemail interception (VMI), though I am not persuaded that this included the duke’s own phone.
“I am persuaded that VMI of some of the duke’s associates probably took place, though not of the duke himself.”
Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy
Many of the articles the judge sided with Harry on related to his relationship with Chelsy Davy, who he first met while she was a boarder at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire.
“Er, OK if I drop you off here?” – Sunday Mirror on 2 December 2007
This article claimed that a photo of Ms Davy leaving Kensington Palace was “proof” the duke had “patched things up” with her.
Harry questioned “what are the chances” that a photographer was there to capture the moment, adding that MGN made a “mind-boggling” amount of inquiries and payments. The publisher said there is no evidence of phone hacking and that the duke had “no reasonable expectation of privacy” in dropping Ms Davy off outside the palace gates.
The judge found “information about the whereabouts of Ms Davy and the arrangements for her to spend the night in Kensington Palace are likely to have been obtained by voicemail interception”.
“Harry is a Chelsy fan” – Daily Mirror on 29 November 2004
Harry said the author of a story showing a picture of Ms Davy, whom the duke had started dating, was a “prolific” user of private investigators who were known phone hackers, while MGN said the details came from a previous report in the Mail on Sunday, as well as two confidential sources.
Read more: Key findings in Prince Harry v Mirror Group Newspapers judgment
The judge said the story was “probably stood up by the Mirror by commissioning PIs to blag flight information, credit card details or phone billing data”, adding: “That unlawful activity was, I find, specifically instructed from London.”
Harry’s military career
“Soldier Harry’s Taliban” – The People on 28 September 2008
This article claimed Harry had been “banned from going back to war” in Afghanistan, despite his “desperation” to return.
He alleged details were obtained by “unlawful means” and that people with the information would not want to “jeopardise my career by speaking about it”, but the publisher said there is no evidence of phone hacking and the “public interest” in the story outweighed “any minimal privacy interest”.
Mr Justice Fancourt said: “There is likely to have been VMI or other unlawful information gathering (UIG) involved in reporting this story.”
The articles Harry lost
The judge said the other 18 articles didn’t stand up to careful analysis, noting “there was a tendency for the duke in his evidence to assume that everything published was the product of voicemail interception because phone hacking was rife within Mirror Group at the time”.
Lazy journalism
Mr Justice Fancourt said some of the articles were just “lazy journalism”, such as:
“3am: What a way to Harry on” – Daily Mirror on 26 March 2009
This article claimed Harry “openly cavorted” with a new girlfriend at a Twickenham rugby match.
The duke said details in the article are incorrect and that payments to a private investigator show the woman was of interest to MGN, while the publisher said information came from a prior Press Association report.
The judge said: “This 3am article was just lazy journalism, “our spy” was an invention, and no UIG was involved in relation to the duke’s private information, which in any event could not include what happened in a hospitality box at a public event.”
Hopeless
Other claims were dismissed as “hopeless”, including:
“Snap… Harry breaks thumb like William; Exclusive” – Daily Mirror on 11 November 2000
An article reported that Harry had chipped a bone in his thumb and had a minor operation following an accident during a game of football.
The duke said he found the level of detail in the story as “surprising” and that he believed the palace had been approached for comment rather than being a source. However, MGN said the information was in the public domain and had been repeatedly reported the previous day.
Mr Justice Fancourt said “this claim is hopeless”, adding: “There is no evidence and no inherent likelihood that VMI or UIG were used in this case.”
“Harry is ready to quit Oz” – Daily Mirror on 27 September 2003
This page-seven story reported that the duke was considering leaving his gap year in Australia due to press intrusion.
Harry said evidence showed that MGN was paying to have him watched as the piece describes that he was inside “watching videos”, while the publisher said the information came from press statements by Clarence House, and also appeared in other outlets.
The judge said: “The claim in respect of this article is also hopeless.”
Pure speculation
“Rugger off Harry” – Sunday Mirror on 11 November 2000
This article described an injury the duke had suffered while playing polo which had resulted in him having to stop playing rugby.
Harry said the article is “brazen” and attributes some details to an unnamed royal source despite there being no comment from the palace, while MGN said the information came from a “confidential Eton source” with no evidence of unlawful information gathering.
“That is pure speculation,” the judge said of Harry’s claim. “I consider that it is more likely than not that there was no unlawful means used to obtain this information.”
Casinos sponsoring two Premier League clubs are accepting UK customers without a licence, putting club officers at risk of prosecution, Sky News has learned.
The gambling websites, BC.Game and DEBET, are the matchday shirt sponsors of Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
But an investigation by anti-gambling advert campaigners, shared with Sky News, suggests the casinos have continued to accept UK customers – despite this becoming unlawful after they lost their licences to operate in the UK.
DEBET lost its licence on 15 May, while BC.Game lost its licence in December 2024.
Neither club has indicated that they intend to end the sponsorships, despite criticism from campaigners and warnings from the Gambling Commission.
With the end of the 2024/25 season this weekend, both clubs are now half-way through two-year sponsorship deals with the casinos – putting them in a difficult position for next season.
The campaign group Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA) told Sky News it was able to make deposits on both gambling websites, despite the sites having no licence to accept UK customers.
CEGA also successfully deposited cash on Burnley FC sponsor 96.com. Burnley are due to be promoted to the Premier League next season.
The findings come one week after the Gambling Commission warned five football clubs, including Wolverhampton and Burnley, that their officers “may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain”.
The Commission had issued a similar warning to Leicester City in February.
It made clear then that the clubs must either cut ties with the casinos or ensure they are not accessible to UK customers “by any means” – including virtual private networks (VPNs) – software used to hide a user’s real location.
Other than the need to use a VPN, CEGA director Will Prochaska says it “really wasn’t very difficult” to access the sites.
The Gambling Commission declined to be interviewed by Sky News, but said that “where we have evidence that meets the standard for criminal prosecution we will take appropriate action”.
Head of enforcement at the Commission John Pierce previously said the body would “conduct ongoing spot checks as necessary to ensure they are not accessible to consumers in Great Britain by any means”.
Mr Prochaska, however, said the Commission was taking “far too long” to take action.
“Far too many children, far too many football fans, are seeing these adverts every day,” he said. “It’s got to stop.”
Leicester City’s sponsor has had no UK licence for almost six months
The three sites that appear on the matchday shirts of Leicester, Wolves and Burnley were previously licensed by TGP Europe, a company based on the Isle of Man.
On 15 May, TGP Europe surrendered its UK gambling licence to avoid a £3.3m fine, leaving DEBET and 96.com unable to legally accept UK customers.
Leicester City sponsor BC.Game has been unlicensed in the UK since it parted ways with TGP Europe in December 2024 – almost six months ago.
Jamie Vardy celebrating scoring for Leicester City last December.
Pic: PA
Mr Prochaska said he contacted Leicester City on 13 March to alert them that BC.Game was still accepting UK customers.
“In fact, it was one of the easiest for me to gamble on – there were very few checks whatsoever,” he says. “But Leicester don’t seem to have done anything about it, and it’s still on the front of their shirts.”
Leicester City FC did not respond to a request for comment.
Sky News was able to sign up to every single site
Bournemouth, Fulham and Newcastle United are also sponsored by casinos that were formerly licensed by TGP Europe, but have been unlicensed since 15 May.
These casinos (bj88, SBOTOP and FUN88) are no longer able to legally accept UK customers.
However, Sky News was able to use a VPN to sign up to all three casinos, as well as those sponsoring Leicester City, Wolverhampton and Burnley.
On all six websites, Sky was able to access QR codes for making cryptocurrency deposits. Sky News did not attempt to make any deposits.
All six casinos are forbidden by law from accepting UK customers.
Yet Burnley sponsor 96.com allowed Sky News to sign up using a Telegram account registered to a UK phone number.
The other websites all required phone numbers to be entered upon registration, which could be used as an additional layer of security to filter out UK customers.
However, most of the websites did not check whether the phone number provided was genuine.
Only one website, Leicester City sponsor BC.Game, did check.
However, after confirming the phone number’s authenticity, BC.Game allowed registration to proceed – even though Sky News had provided a UK phone number.
Sky News presented these findings to the football clubs concerned, to TGP Europe and to the Gambling Commission, but did not receive any comment.
Anyone concerned about their gambling, or that of a loved one, can visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential advice and support, or The National Gambling Helpline is available on 0808 8020 133 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
Alan Yentob, the former BBC presenter and executive, has died aged 78.
A statement from his family, shared by the BBC, said Yentob died on Saturday.
His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I, every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.
“He was curious, funny, annoying, late, and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”
Read more on Sky News:
First renationalised train service starts
My week with Prince William, the quiet disruptor
Yentob joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and held a number of positions – including controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television, and head of music and art.
He was also the director of BBC drama, entertainment, and children’s TV.
Yentob launched CBBC and CBeebies, and his drama commissions included Pride And Prejudice and Middlemarch.
Alan Yentob (left) with former BBC director general Tony Hall in 2012. Pic: Reuters.
The TV executive was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the King in 2024 for services to the arts and media.
In a tribute, the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.
“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us.”
BBC Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan described him on Instagram as “such a unique and kind man: an improbable impresario from unlikely origins who became a towering figure in the culture of post-war Britain.
“I commend his spirit to the living.”
A mother and three of her children who died in a house fire in northwest London have been named by police.
Warning: This article contains pictures of a fire in which people died
Detectives say Nusrat Usman, 43, Maryam Mikaiel, 15, Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died following the fire in Stonebridge, near Wembley, in the early hours of Saturday.
A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital but has since been released. A 13-year-old girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.
A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has since been bailed. He was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.
The blaze gutted two homes in Stonebridge
Flowers and a blue teddy bear have been left near the scene, where crews wearing helmets and respiratory equipment were seen building scaffolding against the burnt-out buildings.
Neighbour Cecilia Marquis, 60, said she was “stunned by the devastation”.
“This will leave a devastating impact,” Ms Marquis, who witnessed the fire, said.
Witness Mohamed Labidi, 38, said he “can’t even look at the house right now”.
“We used to socialise together.
“They’re very good people, no problems on their side at all. It’s really shocking. It’s a really strong community here, we look after each other.”
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s horrible, we saw people running outside.
“It’s hard to process. I only just moved in, so it’s hard to think about it.”
Read more from Sky News:
Police officer fighting for life after on-duty traffic incident named
Premier League clubs at risk of legal action
Rayner says she ‘never’ wants to be Labour leader
Emergency services on the scene. Pic: PA
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Two terrace houses, each with three floors, were severely damaged in the fire, which was under control by around 3.25am, the fire service added.
Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in northwest London, said: “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.
“Specialist officers are continuing to support the wider family who have asked for privacy at this deeply upsetting time.
“Local officers are working closely with officers from the Specialist Crime Command on what continues to be a very complex investigation.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: “This is devastating news and my thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community of the four people who sadly have lost their lives.
“I remain in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police as they work to establish the cause of the fire and offer support to all those impacted.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway