Prince Harry launches legal action against Mirror and Sun over alleged phone-hacking

The filing is the latest case of litigation from the palace against the UK press

The Duke of Sussex has launched two separate legal proceedings against the owners of the Daily Mirror and The Sun newspapers over alleged phone-hacking in the latest round of litigation against the UK press, it has been reported.

The precise nature of the legal action is unknown but the palace reportedly confirmed claims have been filed with the High Court “regarding the illegal interception of voicemail messages”.

It is unclear when the alleged activity took place, and whether it relates to the phone-hacking scandal of the early 2000s in which it was found journalists had accessed the private voicemail accounts of celebrities and members of the public at large to find and support stories.

A royal spokesperson said the palace would provide no further comment because the claims were not yet public.

A spokesperson for News Group Newspapers (NGN) – which owns The Sun, said: “We confirm that a claim has been issued by the Duke of Sussex. We have no further comment to make at the current time.”

A source at Reach plc, which owns the Mirror, said they were aware that proceedings had been issued but had not yet received them, so they were unable to comment.

Prince Harry has only just announced that he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were taking separate legal action against the Mail on Sunday after the newspaper published one of the duchess’ private letters.

In a long and highly personal statement on the royal couple’s official website, Prince Harry said they had been driven to take legal action after the “painful” impact of “relentless propaganda” against his wife from the British tabloid press.

Referencing press coverage of his mother Princess Diana, the duke said his “deepest fear is history repeating itself”.

He wrote: “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person.

“I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”

At the time, a Mail on Sunday spokesperson said: “The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously.

“Specifically, we categorically deny that the duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.”