Prince Harry UK visit live: Verdict due in Duke’s Daily Mail court case after chaos over Buckingham Palace invite – UK Times

The High Court judgment following Prince Harry’s case against the Daily Mail publisher is due on Tuesday during the Duke’s visit to the UK.

The Duke of Sussex, along with several other high-profile figures, launched legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over claims that the publisher carried out or commissioned unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records and accessing private phone conversations.

ANL firmly denies the “preposterous” allegations, which are being tried over nine weeks in London.

Mr Justice Nicklin’s judgment is expected to be handed down remotely with no physical hearing at 2pm.

The Duke of Sussex will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his return to the UK, after accommodation arrangements for his trip reportedly descended into disarray.

Prince Harry landed on Monday and is believed to have arrived in London solo, without the Duchess of Sussex and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, after they pulled out of a visit to the capital because of security concerns.

A spokesperson for the duke described the situation as “disappointing”, stating an offer from the King had been “withdrawn at the last moment”, with a looming High Court judgment against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Tuesday cited as the reason.

As frustration appeared to mount on both sides, it is understood that the duke initially declined the offer for himself and his family, who are no longer accompanying him to London, last Saturday. However, he later made a U-turn, asking to stay for a single night.

Buckingham Palace indicated the appropriate hospitality and staffing provisions were no longer available. The palace also reportedly believes the duke’s longstanding legal case complicated the matter and could potentially compromise the King’s constitutional position.

The Duke of Sussex and a group of other household names are set to find out whether they have won their High Court cases against the Daily Mail’s publisher.

During an 11-week trial earlier this year, the High Court in London heard claims brought by the group – which also includes Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish – against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of unlawful information-gathering.

These include allegations of voicemail interception, landline tapping and obtaining information by deception – also known as “blagging”, carried out by private investigators, freelance journalists and ANL staff.

ANL strongly denies the claims and defended the case, saying it “has established a complete defence to all parts of the claims on the merits” and that the cases have been brought too late.

The trial concluded at the end of March, with Mr Justice Nicklin now expected to give a written ruling on Tuesday July 7.

• During around two hours of cross-examination in January, Harry said he could not complain about some of the 14 articles in his case at the time “because of the institution I was in”.
• Baroness Doreen Lawrence claimed the Daily Mail was “pretending” to support her in getting justice for her son Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993. Her lawyers claim she was “extensively targeted” by private investigators to obtain information, including through corrupt payments to police.
• Sir Elton and Mr Furnish alleged 10 articles about them were based on unlawful information gathering, including unlawfully obtained medical information and landline tapping. The couple claimed their son Zachary’s birth certificate was stolen before they received a copy, with the Rocketman singer telling the court their case “contains the most horrendous things in the world that you can ever suffer from a privacy point of view”.
• Actress Sadie Frost claimed that information behind some articles about her had been “hacked from my voicemails”, as they “were word for word” from her messages.
• Part of her claim relates to an unpublished article about a 2003 ectopic pregnancy, which Frost said she only told her partner and “maybe also one of her very close friends”.

As far as family portraits go, the latest one from the Middletons is a blinder. Wholesome nature backdrop? Check. Cute pet? Check. And – here’s the crucial bit – smiles that actually reach their eyes? A prevailing vibe that they might actually, whisper it, like each other? Check.

The group snap in question was released as part of a fresh drop of images (cooler people than me might call it a photo “dump”, but that doesn’t feel very regal) celebrating the Princess of Wales completing the Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Kate, who announced last year that she is in remission from cancer after undergoing chemotherapy, hiked up Scafell Pike in the Lake District, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa, in Wales over the course of a weekend, and was joined by her family after climbing the latter. The pictures released at the weekend, days ahead of Harry and his family rumoured return to the UK, show her embracing and chatting with her husband, children George, Charlotte and Louis, parents Michael and Carole and younger brother James.

Read the full analysis here:

The Duchess of Sussex’s difficult experience with the press stretches back a decade to when news first broke she was dating the Duke of Sussex.

Harry, giving evidence on the verge of tears at the High Court in his legal battle against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) in January, told how the publisher of the Daily Mail “made my wife’s life an absolute misery”.

Just months after the late Queen’s grandson fell for American actress Meghan Markle, after they met on a blind date in 2016, Harry attacked the media in general over its “abuse and harassment” of his then-girlfriend.

Kensington Palace warned on his behalf: “This is not a game – it is her life.”

In a lengthy and strongly worded statement, Harry’s then-communications secretary, Jason Knauf, outlined the difficulties Meghan had experienced since news of their relationship became public.

He said Suits star Meghan had experienced “the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments”.

Mr Knauf said: “The past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment.”

Harry, who, along with Meghan quit as a senior working royal in 2020, grew up fully aware of the impact of overwhelming media intrusion on the daily life of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Harry’s dislike of the media seemingly intensified following the birth of his first child, Prince Archie, as he sought to protect his family.

The Princess of Wales blew a kiss to a little boy with a rare vein condition during a hospital visit after the youngster made the affectionate gesture.

Kate and three-year-old Arjun traded tokens of affection when she visited Evelina London Children’s Hospital to meet children being treated at a new cardiac unit – part of a project to turn Evelina into the capital’s most comprehensive medical centre for youngsters.

She was wearing a bracelet which appeared to be made from string, made for her by her daughter Princess Charlotte when she undertook her recent Three Peaks Challenge.

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A spokesman for Prince Harry said: “I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a royal residence.

“Following (the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures) Ravec’s decision not to provide security for his family, the duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements.

“Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.”

The spokesman added: “It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason.

“Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”

It marks the first time that a videographer has been hired by a British monarch.

According to reports in The Times, King Charles is said to be “very enthusiastic” about the position.

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For a royal couple best known for maintaining an iron grip on their sunny public profile, do I detect a little disquiet in Sussexland?

Prince Harry is making his way from America’s west coast to the UK for a five-day visit on his own. He had initially wanted his wife, Meghan, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, to accompany him on what is first and foremost a promotional trip for next year’s Invictus Games – but also so they could be reunited with their grandfather, whom they last saw four years ago, before King Charles underwent gruelling treatment for cancer.

For reasons that are not yet fully clear, but which seem to involve an impasse about the British taxpayer providing police protection for the Californians, the Duke has decided at the eleventh hour to travel alone. The full family reunion will simply have to wait – if it ever happens at all. I now fear that the King will never see his grandchildren again.

Read the full analysis from Paul Clements here: