Prince Harry warned on ‘career ending’ allegations amid ongoing legal battle

The judge noted that at least one allegation "could be career-ending and give rise to potential criminal proceedings – so it couldn't be more serious".

Barrister David Sherborne said: "You understand that the rules relating to allegations like that, which are serious allegations, must be pleaded clearly and the claimants must have admissible evidence for that allegation."

The case, with projected costs of £38million, remains in its early stages.

Prince Harry and Baroness Lawrence are among seven claimants suing the Mail's publisher over alleged unlawful information-gathering activities.

The claimants - who include Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes - allege journalists hacked phones, broke into homes, tapped landlines and bugged cars.

Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, strongly denies all accusations, which date back to 1993.

Court documents revealed that Baroness Lawrence joined the legal battle after receiving a text message from Prince Harry in January 2022 claiming there was "information" she "would want to know about".

The text message is now missing, with Baroness Lawrence's solicitors confirming it could not be found in searches of her messages.

The publisher has submitted defences to the High Court, explaining legitimate sources for each contested article.

Mr Justice Nicklin warned the claimants against turning the case into a "public inquiry" during yesterday's hearing.

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The judge rejected an application from Mr Sherborne, who had sought court intervention to ensure the publisher disclosed all relevant documents.

"I don't think it's helpful to anticipate problems that haven't yet arisen. You are open to criticism for anticipating trouble," the judge told Mr Sherborne.

Using a mountaineering analogy, the judge explained: "It's very important before we leave 'base camp', we need to establish where we're going, how we're getting there, what equipment we're taking. And what we are not doing is setting off on a sunny afternoon and saying, 'Let's see what we can find'."

He assured both parties would face "consequences" if proper document disclosure procedures weren't followed.