Prince Harry delivers remarks at the True Patriot Love's National Tribute Dinner in Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The annual event, organized by the True Patriot Love Foundation, honours Canada's military community and raises funds to support active service members, veterans and their families. Eduardo Lima/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry is due to give evidence at London's High Court next Thursday in privacy lawsuits brought by him, singer Elton John and several other high-profile British figures against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
It will be the prince's second court appearance in three years, having become the first British royal to give evidence in 130 years in 2023 in a separate lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers, which he won.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, is suing Associated Newspapers over alleged unlawful information gathering, dating back 30 years. The six other claimants are John, John's husband David Furnish, actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, former lawmaker Simon Hughes and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence, who sits in the House of Lords.
Associated rejects any wrongdoing by its titles, saying there is no basis to what it describes as the claimants' "preposterous smears" against its journalists.
The nine-week trial starts on Monday and will see the claimants give evidence at London's High Court.
Harry will be in the witness box on January 22, according to a draft trial timetable made public on Thursday. The prince, who now lives in California after giving up royal duties, is not expected to meet with his father while in Britain.
John and Furnish are due to give evidence in February but will seek to do so remotely, their lawyers said.
BITTER FIGHT IN HIGH-STAKES CASE
In an indication of the case's ferocity, Associated will argue some of the claimants' legal team were involved in a conspiracy to conceal knowledge of alleged wrongdoing at the Mail from some claimants.
A lawyer representing the claimants said Associated should not be allowed to accuse lawyers of such "fraud, dishonesty and conspiracy" at the trial. The judge said he would allow it if the accusations were contained in Associated's written defence.
Thursday's final pre-trial hearing also featured discussion on whether a key witness, former private investigator Gavin Burrows, who has retracted an original witness statement in which he said he carried out unlawful acts on behalf of Associated, would give live evidence.
Burrows' lawyer said his client was concerned that by appearing in court he might put himself "at personal risk".
HARRY'S LAST REMAINING CASE AGAINST UK PRESS
Associated unsuccessfully applied to throw out the cases in 2023 because they had been brought too late.
The case is the last brought by Harry and his wife Meghan against media organisations since 2019, in what he has described as his mission to rid the British press of executives and editors that abused their power.
Harry won his case against Mirror Group in 2023, and last year settled his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm News Group Newspapers, accepting an apology and damages for privacy breaches against him and his late mother, Princess Diana.
He has long blamed the press for Diana's death in a Paris car crash in 1997 as her vehicle sped away from paparazzi, after she fired her royal security detachment because of suspicions raised in documents faked by a TV reporter to get an interview.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael HoldenEditing by Peter Graff)
