Prince Harry attended the final day of the pretrial hearing in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers. This hearing will be the deciding factor on whether or not the lawsuit goes to trial.
Prince Harry is one among many who are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), which is the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Those suing claim that ANL gathered information illegally.
Prince Harry's lawyer accused the company of gaslighting victims and covering up the alleged illegal behavior done by its journalists. Associated Newspapers strongly denies these allegations.
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The hearing process started on Monday, considering legal arguments from both sides. ANL has argued that the case should not go to trial.
After the final day of the pretrial hearing, a judge will make the ruling that decides whether or not the case shall be taken to trial. Justice Matthew Nicklin, who is presiding over the case, is not expected to make a decision for at least a few weeks.
Prince Harry's surprise appearance was his first time in the UK since the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. His time in London was solely to show support for the case.
In court documents, Harry gave a witness statement. "Before this point, whenever I considered Associated, I never thought about this," he said. "I did however think about all the other things I associated the Mail with, such as the harm caused to individuals and families up and down the country and all the false stories they would pump out about [my wife] Meghan."
In addition to Prince Harry, other claimants alleged that many unlawful practices took place. These included placement of listening devices in their cars and homes, recording of private phone conversations, payment of police, corrupt links to private investigators for sensitive information, illegally obtaining medical information by using impersonation, and accessing financial accounts and history through manipulation.
Prince Harry's lawyer stated that the Duke of Sussex and other claimants had "become aware of compelling and highly distressing evidence that they have been the victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy by Associated Newspapers."
If the case goes to trial, Justice Matthew Nicklin said it would be a "massive trial" that could last for a "substantial period of time."
