A British judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the publisher of the Daily Mail, which sought to end lawsuits brought by celebrities including Prince Harry and singer Elton John for illegally collecting information.
The ruling by the High Court in London opens the way for a trial in one of several actions launched by the youngest son of King Charles III against the British press, the most severe against him.
The Duke of Sussex and six other British celebrities have accused The Associated Press (ANL) of using illegal methods to obtain information, such as hiring detectives, wiretapping or impersonating them.
The publisher of the Daily Mail, which strongly denies the allegations, asked the judge not to convene the hearing during a preliminary hearing in London in March, believing legal evidence was introduced “too late”.
Most of the facts denounced date back to the period 1993-2011, with some from 2018.
Charles III’s youngest son has launched a legal battle against several tabloid headlines that he blamed for the death of his mother Diana in a car crash pursued by the paparazzi in 1997 and accused him of treating her. His wife Meghan Markle is the same way.
The 39-year-old prince, who is in exile in the United States after stepping down from the monarchy in 2020, made a surprise public appearance at the hearing, a rare appearance at court for a member of the royal family.
In June, he appeared to testify as part of another proceeding targeting the Daily Mirror. He became the second member of the British royal family to take the stand for a libel trial since Edward VII in 1891.
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