Overview
- The 11-week High Court hearing, which wrapped up Tuesday, ended with Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin reserving a written ruling and saying it will take time.
- Prince Harry and six others seek very substantial damages for alleged unlawful information gathering over two decades, including phone hacking, landline bugging and deception.
- Associated Newspapers denies wrongdoing and says the stories came from lawful reporting and confidential tips, pointing to extensive archives and to Facebook messages between Harry and Mail on Sunday journalist Charlotte Griffiths.
- The judge cautioned the claimants that their approach risked reversing the burden of proof, telling their lawyer it was for them to show unlawful conduct.
- A key factual dispute centers on private investigator Gavin Burrows’s retracted statement, while other evidence, including a PI’s admission of “unlawful stuff,” and testimony about impacts on Harry and his family could shape damages and debate over press practices.