Prince Harry’s close friends were not all “tight-lipped”, the former diary editor of the Mail on Sunday has told the High Court.
Katie Nicholl repeatedly denied obtaining information through unlawful means, and claimed she had “real contacts genuinely close to Prince Harry who were willing to speak to me”.
Ms Nicholl was asked about part of her written evidence where she said she had met the Duke of Sussex at a party at the Kensington Roof Gardens, in London, around April 2003.
She told the London court that she had seen Harry near the entrance to a private room smoking a cigarette and had invited her in.
The journalist said that she had a good memory of this, adding: “It’s not all the time you get invited into a party by one of the most famous princes in the world.”
David Sherborne, representing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, said Ms Nicholl had been overstating her relationship with Harry and “exaggerating” contacts she had.
He said: “I suggest to you that Prince Harry’s close circle of friends were well aware… and were very tight lipped.
Ms Nicholl replied: “They were not all tight lipped. They certainly weren’t. I had very good sources in the inner circle.”
A group of household names, including the Duke of Sussex, are bringing legal action against ANL over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
The publisher strongly denies the claims and is defending the case.
Ms Nicholl is named as an author of seven articles in Harry’s claim against ANL, which the duke alleges came from unlawful information gathering.
But in her written evidence, Ms Nicholl said that she had “an excellent, reliable network of contacts”, and that she got many stories about Harry from friends.
One article in Harry’s case related to him being chosen as godfather to the child of his former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
In her written evidence, Ms Nicholl said that while she was not “100% sure” who she had spoken to for the story, she often spoke to the late Queen’s close confidante and first cousin once removed, Lady Elizabeth Anson – a “close friend” of Ms Legge-Bourke.
Mr Sherborne asked the journalist about this article on Thursday, stating: “You don’t recall actually speaking to her about this.”
Ms Nicholl replied: “It’s very difficult to remember what conversations I had in 2001,” adding that there “was a close family connection”.
She later said that information for a story about Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy “came from one of Chelsy’s very good friends in South Africa” rather than unlawful means.
The trial over the claims brought by the group, which also includes Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley, David Furnish and Sir Simon Hughes, began in January.
It is due to conclude at the end of March, with judge Mr Justice Nicklin expected to give a judgment in writing at a later date.
