The trial begins in the High Court in London on Tuesday, and will be the first of its kind since the allegations of phone hacking led media mogul Rupert Murdoch to shut down the British tabloid News of the World in 2011.
Prince Harry has joined forces with Labour politician Tom Watson. According to their lawyer, the newspapers have, among other things, tapped their homes and installed listening devices in cars. They are also alleged to have attempted to obtain, for example, medical records through fraud.
The prince claims that the violations took place between 1996 and 2011.
"This claim is incorrect, unsustainable, and strongly denied," responds Murdoch's company News Corp in a statement.
The proceedings are expected to last for ten weeks, and Prince Harry is scheduled to testify for several days in February. The trial will be the second for Prince Harry, who holds the British press responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi photographers. He also believes that the press has been too intrusive towards his wife, Meghan Markle, which, according to Harry, was the reason for the couple's move to the USA.
Harry won a similar case against The Daily Mirror in 2023.
