Negotiations at the High Court in London were scheduled to begin on Tuesday but were postponed due to further delays until Wednesday. The reason for the delay has not been made public, but speculation is rife about a possible settlement.
The trial is the first of its kind since the phone hacking allegations led media mogul Rupert Murdoch to shut down the British tabloid News of the World in 2011.
Tapped homes and cars
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 false, unsustainable, and strongly denied," responds Murdoch's company News Corp in a statement.
On Tuesday, News Corp's lawyer Anthony Hudson announced that a settlement with Prince Harry is "very close", following what is described as intense negotiations between the parties in recent days.
Linked to Diana's death
The negotiations 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 his mother Princess Diana's death in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi. 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.
