Prince Harry will be the focal point of a phone-hacking trial against a newspaper publisher. The Duke of Sussex is one of a number of prominent figures suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages for alleged illegal information collecting.
The trial is scheduled to commence on 9 May, one week after the crowning of the king. Prince Harry is one of a small number of representative claimants chosen as test cases for a London hearing.
Cheryl, a former member of Girls Aloud, the estate of the late singer George Michael, ex-footballer and TV host Ian Wright, and actor Ricky Tomlinson are also interested in the lawsuit.
Mr. Justice Fancourt concluded on Wednesday that the duke’s claim should be tried, stating that it was an “obvious choice” given that it involves a lengthy time period and twenty-four private investigators.
The court heard that 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010 reportedly contained material obtained illegally, including through phone hacking.
The court suggested reducing the number of articles to be considered at trial to around 33.
Based on what he has read and heard in court, he stated that the duke’s case “will not settle,” adding, “Thus, it will have to be tried at some point and might as well be tried now.”
The claimant’s attorney, David Sherborne, stated that the duke would be the sole witness in his case.
Former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman, and actor Michael Turner are the other plaintiffs selected for the trial.
MGN contests the claims, asserting that some were filed too late.
MGN, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and the Sunday People, has previously settled a number of claims related to improper information collecting, as has News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the defunct News Of The World and the Sun, in a separate continuing court case.
Also Read: Jonathan Groff, Who Is Out Gay, Discusses A Relationship Gone Wrong
