When Will Prince Harry Take the Stand as His High-Stakes Trial Against Rupert Murdoch Tabloids Begins?

• Prince Harry’s trial against Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloids Sun started in London on Tuesday, January 21
• The high-stakes trial began with an immediate adjournment, with the Duke of Sussex’s lawyer, David Sherbourne, asking the judge to allow them some more time amid settlement talks
• Harry was not present in court on Tuesday but is due to give evidence in February

Prince Harry is embarking on the next phase of his mission to take on what he claims are historic illegal activities by some UK newspapers

Trial in the Duke of Sussex’s legal battle against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) — the publisher the sun — over allegations of illegal information gathering by journalists and private investigators working for NGN began at the High Court in London on Tuesday, January 21.

Harry, 40, was not present to witness the start of the proceedings against the tabloid after it was revealed on January 20 that he would miss it. He is due to give evidence in the case – which is being held in the grand Rolls Building, in the heart of the city’s court district – over four days in February. Mr Justice Fancourt is the judge in the case.

The trial began with a temporary adjournment on Tuesday, with David Sherbourne – the barrister representing Harry and his co-defendant, former Labor politician Tom Watson – standing first and asking the judge to give them some more time amid plea talks. Lord Watson was also seen in the courthouse after arriving well after the start of proceedings.

Prince Harry arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in June 2023.

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Both legal teams were given an hour to leave, and when they returned shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time, Mr. Sherbourne asked for another break to take them to lunch, about an hour and a half later.

The attorney representing NGN, Anthony Hudson, agreed and assured the judge that it would not interfere with the upcoming trial schedule. He agreed to a delay as long as it would be “beneficial” to the outcome.

NGN has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement released on Tuesday, his legal team also addressed the fact that Harry had accused NGN of phone hacking and other privacy violations between 1996 and 2011, a period during which Sun and now non-existent News from the world allegedly aimed at him.

“Vojvoda alleges illegal information gathering from 1996 to 2011. His allegations of cell phone hacking were thrown out by the court so they will not be part of the trial. His claim now focuses on allegations of illegal information gathering by investigative agents and alleged private investigators directed by of NGN journalists mainly in the early 2000s His claim will be fully defended, including on the grounds that it was made out of time.”

Prince Harry at an earlier court hearing against Mirror Group Newspapers in London in June 2023.

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The Duke of Sussex hinted at the start of this civil dispute in 2019, when his wife Meghan Markle also started a fight against another newspaper, Mail on Sunday. She won the case in February 2021. It is one of several cases he has brought into the British legal system. Harry is also appealing the decision which saw him and his family cut off official insurance – and that comes in the spring. Then, early next year, his case involved publishers Daily Mail.

In an interview for ITV Tabloids on trialPrince Harry has acknowledged the impact the lawsuits have had on his relationship with his family.

“Yes, that’s certainly a central part of it,” he said, adding that seeking justice against the press is something he feels is necessary, despite the personal loss he’s taken.

Prince Harry at the Royal Courts of Justice in March 2023.

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“But, you know, that’s a difficult question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a barrage of abuse from the media,” said the prince, who formally stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, to California. “I made it clear that this was something that needed to be done. It would be nice if we could do it as a family. Again, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, I believe these are things we should be doing for the greater good. But, you know, I’m doing this for my own reasons.”

Celebrities including actor Hugh Grant and actress Sienna Miller also filed lawsuits against the publisher but settled. Grant explained in April 2024 that he felt he had no choice because it could incur huge costs, amounting to more than $10 million, even if successful.

ua long thread on X (formerly known as Twitter), wrote, “News Group claims to be completely innocent of the things I accused the Sun of – phone hacking, illegal information gathering, landline tapping, breaking into my apartment and office, bugging my car, illegal forgery medical records, lies, perjury and destruction of evidence.”

“As usual with completely innocent people, they are offering me a huge sum of money to keep this thing out of court,” he added.

Prince Harry at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in March 2023.

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“I do not want to accept this money or settle. I would like to see all the allegations they deny be tested in court,” he continued. “But the rules of civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me even a penny less than the settlement offered, I will have to pay both parties’ legal fees.”

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A spokesperson for NGN told PEOPLE in a statement that it is not admitting any liability in the settlement and said the settlement of the case “is in the financial interest of both parties to not progress to a costly trial.”

In December, during a conversation with The New York Timescolumnist and Dealbook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin, Harry said other claimants “settled because they had to.”

“One of the main reasons to implement this is accountability, because I am the last person who can actually achieve this,” he added, according to the British newspaper. An observer.

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