Prince Harry v Mirror Group Newspapers: Everything you need to know about the Duke of Sussex’s court case
The Duke of Sussex’s court case, against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, began in May.
The joint lawsuit, over accusations of historical phone-hacking, started just a few days after his father was crowned King.
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Mirror Group apologises to Prince Harry
Prince Harry gave evidence in person in June.
Mirror Group has denied the allegations, some of which relate to when Piers Morgan was the Mirror’s editor.
The journalist and presenter has since become a vocal critic of the prince and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.
It’s the latest of multiple cases brought against the tabloid press by Harry and Meghan over the last few years, and this is just one of several cases Prince Harry is currently involved in.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Michael Le Vell plays Kevin Webster in Coronation Street
Who’s involved?
The Duke of Sussex v Mirror Group Newspapers took place at the High Court in London. The Honourable Mr Justice Fancourt was the judge presiding over the case.
Prince Harry was cross-examined over the allegations and criticised ex-Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, who led the paper from 1995 to 2004.
Morgan hit back at Harry saying: “I wish him luck with his privacy campaign and look forward to reading about it in his next book.”
Harry’s appearance in the witness box made him the first senior royal to give evidence in a courtroom since the 19th Century.
While Prince Harry was one of the key players, as a group litigation he was not the only claimant.
The 38-year-old royal brought the action along with others including former Girls Aloud bandmate Cheryl, actor Ricky Tomlinson, ex-footballer and TV presenter Ian Wright and the estate of the late singer George Michael.
Other claimants selected for the trial were former Coronation Street stars Michael Le Vell and Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman and model Paul Sculfor.
David Sherborne was the lawyer representing Prince Harry.
Daily Mirror
Who are Mirror Group Newspapers?
Mirror Group Newspapers is part of the publisher Reach, which is one of Britain’s biggest newspaper groups.
Previously known as Trinity Mirror, Reach owns multiple national papers including the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star, local newspapers including the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo, and the magazine OK!
The company’s headquarters is based at Canary Wharf in London.
What’s alleged?
The lawsuit alleges that unlawful information was gathered on behalf of MGN journalists between 1996 and 2011.
MGN contested the claims and argued that some had been brought too late. Mirror Group previously accepted that phone hacking took place at its titles, and paid hundreds of millions of pounds in settlements to victims.
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Lawyers for the claimants said Harry’s case relates to a number of articles published between 1996 and 2011 including information that was allegedly obtained through unlawful means, such as phone hacking.
They said his family and friends – including King Charles and late TV presenter Caroline Flack – were also illegally targeted.
While 148 articles were initially flagged to the court by Harry’s team, only around 33 articles were considered at trial.
The prince launched the case back in 2019, but it only came to court this year.
What is phone hacking?
Phone hacking involved intercepting private voicemail messages on another person’s device. This could be done remotely, and all it required was knowing someone’s mobile number.
The hack would be carried out by ringing the number and letting it go through to voicemail – if the phone was answered, the hacker would hang up.
But once through to voicemail, the hacker would have to guess the individual’s PIN number, if they had one – which wasn’t as difficult as you might think as many people left the PIN set to the default of “0000” or “1234”.
The hacker could then listen to voicemails left on that person’s phone, writing down what was said or recording longer messages for transcribing later.
Lord Justice Sir Brian Leveson
What was the Leveson Inquiry and why is it relevant?
In 2011, Judge Sir Brian Leveson led a public inquiry after it was revealed News Of The World journalists had hacked the phone of murdered school girl Milly Dowler.
Initially intended to be carried out in two sections, the first part of the Leveson Inquiry looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the press. It involved celebrities including Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller, Steve Coogan and Charlotte Church.
Part two of the Leveson Inquiry was meant to investigate the relationship between journalists and the police, but never took place. There have since been calls to re-open the uncompleted inquiry, with activists including those from the Hacked Off campaign saying such cases as this show wrongdoing within some newspapers is still taking place.
Harry has several cases against Associated Newspapers – publishers of the Daily Mail
What other legal action has Prince Harry taken?
Harry and Meghan have filed at least seven lawsuits against British and American media outlets since 2019, and the prince has pursued four cases against UK tabloids.
The royal is one of a group of high-profile figures who alleged unlawful information gathering at Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline.
The publisher denies the allegations, which include phone-tapping and bugging people’s homes. The lawsuit also involves Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost and the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence – Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
In a second libel case against ANL over an article about his security arrangements Harry was ordered to pay the Mail on Sunday more than £48,000 after he lost his claim.
He has a separate legal fight against the Home Office over the same protection issues.
And Prince Harry also sued 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 High Court ruled in July that Harry could not sue NGN for alleged phone-hacking and rejected his argument that there was a secret deal between the publisher and senior royals.
However, the remainder of Harry’s battle against News Group is set for 2025.
Why is Prince Harry doing this?
Prince Harry’s hatred of the British tabloid press is well-documented – he has written about it at length in his memoir Spare and spoken about it in numerous resulting TV interviews.
He has said he blames the paparazzi for the part they played in his mother’s death and vented his frustration at the “injustice” of no one being sent to jail following the inquest into the car crash that killed her.
He has also said that media intrusion was part of the reason he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to America.
Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties in 2020. Pic: Netflix
Just this year Prince Harry accused members of his family of getting into bed with the devil – the tabloid press – to sully him and his wife Meghan to improve their own reputations.
He has previously described the British tabloid press as “the mothership of online trolling”, and says he is exposing alleged media wrongdoing “to save journalism as a profession”.
The prince says it’s his “life’s work” to change the British “media landscape”, making it more accountable for its actions. With a high profile and deep pockets, it’s a mission he’s started in earnest.
It remains to be seen whether the tell-all interviews, a revealing memoir and now numerous court cases assist Prince Harry in his crusade against the media, or simply fuel the fire he says he is so keen to put out.
Entertainment
Eurovision 2024: Israel’s Eden Golan makes it through to grand final with Hurricane after protests
Israel has made it into the Eurovision grand final, despite calls for the country’s entry to be banned from the contest.
Israel’s success in reaching the final stage of the show – which will take place on Saturday – comes against a backdrop of large protests across Malmo, Sweden, which is this year’s host city.
The Pro-Palestinian demonstration before the Eurovision Song Contest. Pic: AP
Israel‘s song Hurricane – sung by 20-year-old Eden Golan – had to be reworked after an initial version titled October Rain was ruled too political by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which believed some lyrics referred to the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.
Some believe that some lyrics in the current song – including “Dancin’ in the storm… I’m still broken from this hurricane,” still refer to attacks seven months ago which killed more than 1,000 people and resulted in hundreds of hostages being taken.
During an earlier rehearsal on Tuesday, Golan was met with boos and cries of “Free Palestine,” and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.
Israel’s Eden Golan with Hurricane for Israel. Pic: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
The EBU has said only flags that represent countries taking part, and the rainbow flag, can be brought to the event.
They have said other “flags, symbols, clothing, items and banners being used for the likely purpose of instrumentalising the TV shows” will be removed.
Golan performed her song Hurricane dressed in white and flanked by five backing dancers. The performance centred around a large wheel-like prop in the centre of the stage.
She has said she hopes to unite people through music.
Israel’s Eden Golan with Hurricane for Israel. Pic: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
Condemnation of ‘harassment’ and ‘abuse’
In the run-up to the competition – which is the world’s largest live music contest – there have been demonstrations and calls for Israel to be banned over their ongoing ground offensive in Gaza.
However, the EBU – which says it is an apolitical organisation – has ruled that Israel can take part, saying it has not broken any broadcasting rules.
The EBU has also condemned the “harassment” and “abuse” of any acts taking part in the show.
This week, the EBU was forced to apologise after former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who is reportedly of Palestinian origin, wore a keffiyeh around his wrist while he sang in an earlier rehearsal.
On Tuesday, ten acts were chosen for the final in the first semi-final: Ireland’s Bambie Thug, Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, Finland’s Windows95Man, Serbia’s Teya Dora, Cyprus’s Silia Kapsis, Lithuania’s Silvester Belt, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, Slovenia’s Raiven, Portugal’s Iolanda and Luxembourg’s Tali.
The other nine acts who made it through from Thursday’s semi-final were Greece’s Marina Satti, Switzerland’s Nemo, Austria’s Kaleen, Armenia’s Ladaniva, Latvia’s Dons, Georgia’s Nutsa Buzaladze, Estonia’s 5Miinust and Puuluup, Norway’s Gate and The Netherlands’s Joost Klein.
The “Big Five” (the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy, who are the largest contributors to the competition) all gain an automatic place in the competition along with host nation Sweden.
In March, nine contestants – including the UK’s Olly Alexander, Ireland’s Bambie Thug and Switzerland’s Nemo – called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the “safe return” of Israeli hostages in a joint statement.
UK’s Olly Alexander with Dizzy. Pic: Corinne Cumming/EBU
Ireland’s Bambie Thug performing at the semi-final. Pic: Reuters
However, they said they would not be boycotting the event in a bid to “uphold this space” and “inspire greater compassion and empathy”.
As it stands, no act has withdrawn from this year’s contest over the war.
More than 34,000 people have been killed, and over 77,000 have been injured in Gaza since the conflict began, according to Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry.
Israel’s entry Golan, who has been performing since she was nine years old, left Israel when she was six to live in Russia with her family, but returned when she was 18.
Her song, which was co-written by one of the writers and producers of Israel’s 2018 winning number Toy – tells the story of a young woman experiencing a personal crisis.
It’s among the favourites with bookmakers to win the competition.
Last year Israel, who have been performing in the contest since 1973, came third with the song Unicorn performed by Noa Kirel. They have won Eurovision four times.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The Grand Final is on Saturday night. Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the contest as it happens.
Entertainment
Hailey Bieber pregnant: Pop star Justin and wife announce they are expecting first child
Justin and Hailey Bieber have announced they are expecting their first child.
Hailey, the 27-year-old model, posted a video and a series of photos on Instagram showing off her baby bump.
Justin, 30, is also in the social media footage and has shared his wife’s post. It racked up over 1.8 million likes in less than an hour.
The announcement did not include a caption, with Hailey simply tagging her husband in the post.
The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in New York in 2018. The Instagram footage shows Hailey in a white lace dress during an apparent vow renewal held in a field.
Kylie Jenner was among the celebrities congratulating the couple in the comments of Hailey’s social media post.
The couple married in secret in 2018. Pic: BauerGriffin / MediaPunch /IPX
US reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, model Gigi Hadid and TV personality Chrissy Teigen also commented with their warm wishes.
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Hailey is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece of actors Alec, William and Daniel Baldwin, while Justin was discovered as a singer online aged 13 and went on to become a pop sensation with his hits including Baby, Love Me and Yummy.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The Canadian superstar was forced to cancel the remaining dates of his Justice world tour last year amid his ongoing recovery from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that can cause facial paralysis.
He unexpectedly stepped on stage at Coachella last month to perform the 2020 hit single Essence, alongside Wizkid, during a set by Nigerian star Tems.
Entertainment
New Lord Of The Rings film The Hunt For Gollum to be first of two new movies set in Middle Earth
The team behind the Lord Of The Rings trilogy will work on two new films, Warner Bros has announced.
Peter Jackson, the mastermind behind the epic Oscar-winning films released in 2001, 2002 and 2006, will produce the films alongside Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
Andy Serkis, known for playing Gollum in the original trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novels set in the world of Middle Earth, will again star as the character and direct the first of the new movies, Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum.
In a statement sure to excite fans, Serkis used Gollum’s catchphrase, saying: “Yesssss, Precious.”
He added: “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth – Peter, Fran and Philippa.”
Andy Serkis in 2004. Pic: Reuters
The producing team “will be involved every step of the way” in the new venture, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, said.
Warner Bros. had first announced in 2023 that it was planning a number of new films set in the Lord Of The Rings world.
Jackson’s original trilogy was followed by another based on Tolkien’s prequel book, The Hobbit.
The first new film focusing on Gollum is scheduled for release in 2026.
Mr Zaslav said it will “explore storylines yet to be told”.
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Jackson, Walsh and Boyens said: “It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle Earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker – Gollum!
“As lifelong fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings films, which were shot simultaneously in Jackson’s native New Zealand, won 17 Oscars.
Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson with one of his Oscar statues in 2004. Pic: Reuters
A separate animated Middle Earth movie set 200 years before the plot of The Hobbit and entitled The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim, will be out in December this year.
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