Prince Harry arrives in court for the spying trial

2023-06-06 09:08:00

King Charles III’s son appeared in the High Court in the British capital on Tuesday. His lawyer David Sherborne had announced the day before that, contrary to expectations, the 38-year-old would not take part in the trial until Tuesday. The judge had criticized this.

Harry becomes the first royal in more than 130 years to testify in court. He is expected to comment on details of the offending reporting, including his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

The civil class action lawsuit against the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (“Daily Mirror”, “Sunday Mirror”, “The People”) deals with the cases of several celebrities who accuse the journalists of having spied on them. The focus is on how involved the management level was.

It is already known from other proceedings that several tabloid media have used illegal practices. However, the publisher rejects the allegations in the current process.

A total of three days – until Wednesday – are scheduled for Harry’s allegations. The process runs until the end of June, and a verdict is not expected until the end of the year. Harry leads a campaign against the tabloids in several cases.

The last member of the royal family to appear in court was Charles’ sister Princess Anne, who pleaded guilty in 2002 and was fined after one of her dogs bit two children. The last time a royal was cross-examined was in 1891 – the heir to the throne at the time, Prince Edward, testified in a procedure for cheating at cards.