Prince Harry trial – latest: Phone hacking claim looks at 147 articles on Duke of Sussex
Third day of Duke of Sussex’s trial against Mirror publisher is underway
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As the third day of Prince Harry’s hearing against the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGM) resumed today, the court heard that there are 147 articles on the Duke of Sussex involved.
Discussing Harry’s case, his lawyer David Sherborne said out of the 147 articles, 33 are being examined in the trial - in his claim.
He said: “The Duke of Sussex, one of the most prominently covered individuals by the defendant’s titles... [MGN]’s case is throughout the entire period... there was only one occasion of unlawful information gathering.”
In written submissions, Mr Sherborne said the duke’s claim covered the period 1995 to 2011 and is “significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities”.
The barrister previously alleged that those responsible for management and finances of the company “were well aware of what was going on”.
The claims brought forward by four individuals, including Harry, include phone hacking, securing information through deception - also known as “blagging” - and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.
Good morning. Prince Harry’s hearing against the Mirror publishers is set to continue today at the High Court in London.
Stay tuned for updates.
Piers Morgan says ‘I wouldn’t even know how to hack a phone’
Piers Morgan has claimed he did not know about phone-hacking taking place at the Mirror while he was editor of the newspaper.
It comes as allegations of unlawful information-gathering at the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) was brought by Prince Harry and other celebrities to the High Court this week, with the third day of the trial set to resume today.
Speaking to the BBC before the trial began, Mr Morgan said: “I’ve never hacked a phone. I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone.”
The former editor added that phone hacking is completely wrong and was “lazy journalists being lazy”.
Voices: Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll
You don’t need to have suffered the burdens of fame to know that it might not be a moral outrage to object to illegal and frightening intrusions into your private life – even if you were planning to put it all on Instagram anyway, writes Tom Peck:
It says Various v Mirror Group Newspapers above the door of court 15 of the Rolls Building, but what will go on over the next seven weeks will be going by a catchier moniker: Harry vs Piers. The prince and the troll.
Both men were ghosts at what will be another feast for the lawyers when it began on Wednesday morning down at the High Court. One of them, Prince Harry, will certainly turn up eventually. He’s scheduled to testify three weeks from now; the first time a senior royal has done so in any significant way in modern times.
Morgan may not make it at all. He has no formal reason to, but as Prince Harry’s barrister went through the painful case against Mirror Group Newspapers it was not hard to visualise how its erstwhile editor might be looking had he made it down: just imagine a slightly wobblier-jowled version of the gnashing teeth emoji.
A timeline of Prince Harry’s legal battles – from phone hacking to the Home Office
A trial in one of the Duke of Sussex’s legal battles is set to begin at the High Court in London.
Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.
The trial – expected to last up to seven weeks – is due to restart today, with the duke set to appear as a witness in June.
Here we look at the legal cases the duke has been involved in over the last few years:
Phone hacking and Home Office: What legal claims has Prince Harry been involved in?
Harry is involved in a number of legal actions, including a trial against Mirror Group Newspapers which restarts today
Piers Morgan ‘will not take privacy lectures’ from Prince Harry
In case you missed it...
Piers Morgan has said he is “not going to take lectures on privacy invasion” from the Duke of Sussex amid allegations of phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday. The tabloid publisher “unreservedly” apologised to the prince for an instance of unlawful information gathering at the start of the hearing.
Piers Morgan ‘will not take privacy lectures’ from Prince Harry
Former editor’s comments come as Mirror Group Newspapers apologised to Prince Harry at start of trial into phone hacking
Piers Morgan: I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone
Piers Morgan has said he has “never told anybody to hack a phone” amid an ongoing court case over alleged unlawful information gathering at the Daily Mirror.
The Duke of Sussex and other high-profile figures have brought claims of phone hacking against the titles of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday.
Journalist and broadcaster Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, told BBC Two’s Amol Rajan Interviews: “I think phone hacking is completely wrong and shouldn’t have been happening and it was lazy journalists being lazy.
He added: “There’s no evidence I knew anything about any of this… I never told anybody to hack a phone.”
Piers Morgan: I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone
The 58-year-old former Good Morning Britain (GMB) presenter did admit he enjoys stirring up controversy.
Piers Morgan takes cheeky swipe at Hugh Grant as phone hacking trial continues
Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been caught up in the high-profile court case against the Mirror Group Newspapers.
A host of celebrities, including Prince Harry and Hugh Grant, have accused the publisher of unlawful information-gathering.
However, Mr Morgan has claimed he was unaware of any phone-hacking taking place while he was editor.
Today, as the third day of the trial resumes at the High Court in London, the ex-editor tweeted a photo of Hugh Grant, in apparent reference to the ongoing trial.
‘I’ve not been called to give evidence’: What Piers Morgan has said about phone hacking accusations
Piers Morgan has strenuously denied knowing “anything about” phone hacking at the Mirror and said he “couldn’t give a monkey’s cuss” about the High Court case brought by Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex and other celebrities including Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Le Vell have accused Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and the use of private investigators.
On the second day of the seven-week trial, which began on Wednesday, the duke’s lawyer David Sherborne told the court that Mr Morgan “lies right at the heart” of the allegations, and insisted it was “inconceivable” that he and several other MGN editors had been unaware of the alleged wrongdoing.
What Piers Morgan has said about phone hacking accusations
Former Mirror editor compares Prince Harry’s privacy complaints to ‘being lectured on the truth by Donald Trump’
ICYMI: Unlawful information gathering authorised at top levels of publisher, court told
In case you missed it...
Unlawful information gathering was authorised “at the highest levels” at the publisher of The Mirror, the High Court was told.
Several high-profile figures, including the Duke of Sussex, are bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.
Claims brought by four individuals are being heard in a seven-week trial as “representative” cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher – including voicemail interception, securing information through deception, and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.
MGN – publisher of titles The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – is contesting the cases and has also said there is “no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception in any of these four claims”.
On the second day of the case on Thursday, barrister David Sherborne said one of the “most seriously troubling features” of their cases was the allegation that those responsible for management and finances of the company “were well aware of what was going on”.
Unlawful information gathering authorised at top levels of publisher, court told
High-profile figures including the Duke of Sussex are bringing High Court claims against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Unlawful gathering of information made with ‘sense of outrage,’ court hears
Claims of unlawful information-gathering against the Daily Mirror have been made with a “sense of outrage”, the High Court has heard.
Andrew Green KC, for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), said lawyers for the people bringing claims, including the Duke of Sussex, had “no basis” for some of the alleged claims.
He went on to say: “Many of the allegations highlighted were made with a sense of outrage.”
Mr Green also said there was “absolutely nothing” unlawful about some invoices used to obtain information.
He said: “There was absolutely nothing unlawful about searches for publicly-accessible material.”
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