Prince Harry took the witness stand at London’s High Court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, launching his final active lawsuit against the British media and capping years of litigation over alleged illegal newsgathering.
At a Glance
- Prince Harry testified first in a nine-week trial against the publishers of the Daily Mail
- The Duke claims 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013 relied on unlawfully obtained private information
- The case could cost more than $50 million to try
- Why it matters: The outcome will decide whether the palace’s “never complain, never explain” rule effectively silenced Harry from defending himself against media intrusion
The Duke of Sussex, 41, entered Court 76 dressed in a black suit and his Household Regiment Guards tie. He arrived shortly after 11 a.m. local time, smiling briefly at photographers. His testimony had been moved up a day after the defense finished its opening statement sooner than expected.
Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, called him as the first witness. Carrying a large pad of lined paper and a small bottle of water, Harry swore on a Bible “to tell the whole truth.”
The lawsuit joins Harry with six other claimants-including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost-in accusing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, of using unlawful methods to gather information.
Harry’s claims center on 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013. Many focus on his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, whom he dated on and off from 2004 to 2011. He argues the detail in those stories could only have come from illegally obtained private data and says the coverage placed “significant strain” on the relationship.
During cross-examination, Anthony White, lawyer for Associated Newspapers, noted Harry had not complained about the articles at the time.
“Not that I am aware of,” Harry replied, adding that the “institution” he belonged to-Buckingham Palace-enforced a rule of “never complain and never explain.”
“I wasn’t allowed to complain,” he told the court.
Associated Newspapers denies wrongdoing. Court filings say the articles were “sourced entirely legitimately,” relying on information from journalists’ contacts, including people in Harry’s social circle, press officers, publicists, freelancers, photographers, and prior reporting.
On Jan. 20, White told the court that reporters would “provide a compelling account of legitimate sourcing,” stressing that “all, or many” would “have to be deliberately lying if the claimants’ case was sound.”
Sherborne countered that public appetite for royal news was “huge” and that “no one sold more copy than the Duke of Sussex.”
Harry believes he faced a “sustained campaign of attacks” for challenging the newspaper group. Sherborne emphasized the case is about “uncovering the truth,” not chasing damages.
In written submissions, Harry says the articles had a “profoundly distressing effect,” leaving him “paranoid beyond belief,” fostering distrust, and isolating him from friends. The filings add that the reporting was “terrifying” for those close to him and placed “massive strain” on personal relationships.
“I find it deeply troubling that Associated used phrases such as ‘sources,’ ‘friends’ and the like as a device to hide unlawful information gathering,” Harry said in a statement included in the submission.
A source previously told News Of Los Angeles the trial represents “the culmination of what has been years of litigation” and that Harry sees the case as “an injustice that needs to be righted.”
Ahead of the trial, Harry’s spokesperson told News Of Los Angeles he was “feeling confident and ready.”
This is not Harry’s first time on the stand. In 2023 he became the first senior royal in more than a century to testify in court, appearing in a separate case against the British press.
Harry has pursued multiple actions against U.K. media groups. In January 2025 he reached a settlement with the publisher of The Sun, which paid an eight-figure sum over allegations of illegal information gathering. On Jan. 22, 2025, that publisher issued a “full and unequivocal apology” and paid “substantial damages” for phone hacking and privacy invasions, acknowledging intrusions into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana.
The current nine-week trial, overseen by Mr. Justice Nicklin, is expected to cost more than $50 million. A ruling is likely months away, but Harry’s testimony marks the climactic moment in his last remaining lawsuit against the British media.
