January 21, 2026, 1:15 p.mJanuary 21, 2026, 1:15 p.m
Prince Harry surprisingly took the witness stand early on the third day of the trial in his civil lawsuit against the publisher of the tabloid Daily Mail.
Prince Harry entering the courthouse.Image: keystone
Actually, the younger son of King Charles III was supposed to be. (77) will not testify until Thursday. The fact that a royal is testifying in court at all is an extraordinary event. The 41-year-old smiled as he entered the courthouse in rainy London. Shortly afterwards he took a seat in the witness stand.
Harry and other celebrities, such as pop star Elton John (78), accuse the publisher’s journalists of using illegal research methods for years to generate headlines.
The musician Sir Elton John is also said to have been bugged.Image: keystone
Among other things, private detectives are said to have been commissioned to listen to telephone conversations and voicemail messages, and bugs are said to have been used. During “blagging,” journalists and their helpers are said to have gained access to personal data such as medical records and bank statements by using a false identity. The publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) firmly rejects the allegations.
Harry: Driven into paranoia
The evidence is difficult: In the case of Prince Harry, the plaintiffs’ legal team presented 14 newspaper articles in which they assume that information was obtained illegally. Among other things, it is about the relationship between Harry and his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
According to plaintiff’s lawyer David Sherborne, it would not have been possible to obtain the partly intimate information legally. He also wants to use information about payment transactions to show a close collaboration between “Mail” journalists and well-known private detectives.
This is the third procedure of this kind for the prince.Image: keystone
The defense, on the other hand, claims that the information was passed on to the journalists by friends and acquaintances of the royal. The fact that this could be the case has, according to Harry, weighed heavily on him for years. This created mistrust and “driven me into unimaginable paranoia and isolated me,” said Harry, according to a written submission to the court.
This is the third trial of this kind for the prince. He is waging a veritable crusade against the tabloid press, which he blames, among other things, for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She died in a car accident with her companions in Paris in 1997 while fleeing paparazzi. (sda/dpa)
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