Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
prince harryThe long-running legal campaign against the British media is expected to reach a critical moment next week as his Privacy lawsuit against publishers of daily mail The newspaper begins. The Duke of Sussex has claimed that the illegal practices of Associated Press prompted his decision to move to the United States.
The 41-year-old youngest son of King Charles has long expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the king. British media often employ aggressive tacticsa stance often associated with the tragic death of his mother, Princess dianaIn 1997, he was involved in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi. He has long vowed to hold them accountable.
Prince Harry is one of seven high-profile claimants, including singer Sir Elton Johnwho are suing United Newspapers for years of alleged illegal conduct. The charges range from wiretapping phone lines to illegally obtaining personal health records. The AP has strongly denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the accusations as “ridiculous slander” and part of a broader conspiracy.
London’s High Court will hear evidence from Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actress Liz Hurley and activist Sadie Frost over nine weeks Doreen Lawrenceand former British MP Simon Hughes. Prince Harry is due to appear in court next Thursday, his second appearance on the witness stand in three years. In 2023, he became the first British royal in 130 years to give evidence in another lawsuit. Current and former senior staff at The Associated Press, including several national newspaper editors, are also expected to be questioned by the claimants’ legal team.
The stakes are extremely high for all parties involved, with not only reputations at stake but legal bills expected to run into tens of millions of pounds. Critics believe Prince Harry was motivated by pain from adverse coverage, ranging from partying in his youth to family disputes and his eventual departure from the UK.
Supporters, however, view his cause as noble and aimed at challenging what they consider unethical media practices. Damian Tambini, an expert on media and communications regulation at the London School of Economics, commented: “His motivations appear to be more than just money. He was actually trying to influence change at the newspaper, along with a number of other complainants.”
Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan have previously said media harassment was a major factor in their decision to step down from royal duties and move to California in 2020. Sir Elton John, 77, has also been involved in legal battles with the British media, having successfully sued a number of newspapers including the British newspaper. daily mail,defamation. He received a settlement of £1m the sun In 1988, after a false accusation.
The case against United Newspapers is likely to be Prince Harry’s most significant legal challenge yet, following successful actions against Mirror Group newspapers and Rupert Murdoch’s News Group News (NGN) that resulted in damages, apologies and admissions of wrongdoing.
This 130-year-old man daily mailKnown for its advocacy of traditional, conservative values, it has long been one of the most powerful media forces in the UK. Unlike the Mirror and NGN, it was not involved in the phone hacking scandal. The newspaper claims it gives a voice to millions of people in “the middle of England”, holding the rich, powerful and famous to account.
It is worth noting that in 1997, daily mail A prominent front page denounced five men accused of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence as murderers and challenged anyone to prosecute if they disagreed. The case was a defining moment for race relations in Britain.
Nonetheless, Stephen’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, Now one of the prosecutors mailaccused the reporter of tapping her phone, monitoring her bank accounts and phone bills, and paying police for confidential information.
The joint case is expected to be one of the last to be unveiled in court over phone-hacking allegations that have dogged British media for more than two decades. In 2011, the practice of illegally accessing voicemails attracted public attention and led to the closure of Murdoch’s company. world news The tabloid, the jailing of its former editor, and a public investigation.
Both Murdoch’s NGN and Mirror Group have since paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of illegal activities. If the claimants lose, Tambini said, “this may be the moment when phone hacking finally disappears as a set of problems.”