Prince Harry faces anxious wait as key court case details hang in the balance
Prince Harry faces an anxious wait as key details in his court case against NGN hang in the balance.
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Prince Harry faces an anxious wait as key details in his court case against NGN hang in the balance.
The Duke of Sussex, as well as, dozens of others will have to wait a whole month before learning whether their specific cases will be part of a trial in legal action against the publisher of The Sun.
The royal alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN which also published the now-defunct News Of The World.
A full trial of some of the cases will be held at the High Court in January 2025.
Prince Harry faces an anxious wait as key details in his court case against NGN hang in the balance.
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NGN has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.
Mr Justice Fancourt said that the cases of all 42 people with live claims against NGN were "trial eligible".
The judge added: "It is unlikely that more than four claims will be tried at the trial."
Lawyers from both sides will exchange lists outlining their order of "preference" to determine which cases will be heard.
The Duke of Sussex, as well as, dozens of others will have to wait a whole month before learning whether their specific cases will be part of a trial in legal action against the publisher of The Sun.
Getty
The Duke of Sussex is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged invasions of privacy from the mid-1990s until 2016.
In 2023, a High Court judge ruled that part of the Duke of Sussex’s damages claim against NGN over allegations of unlawful information gathering could go ahead.
Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that the Duke of Sussex could not bring his claim against NGN in relation to phone hacking.
However, the judge said the rest of his claim, relating to other allegations of unlawful information gathering such as use of private investigators, could go to trial.
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The royal alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN which also published the now-defunct News Of The World.
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He refused to allow Prince Harry to amend his case to rely on a "secret agreement" between Buckingham Palace and senior NGN executives.
The judge concluded in his ruling: "I am satisfied that there is no reasonable prospect of the duke proving at trial that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have discovered facts that would show that he had a worthwhile claim for voicemail interception in relation to each of the News of the World and The Sun."
Mr Justice Fancourt added: "He already knew that in relation to the News Of The World, and he could easily have found out by making basic inquiries that he was likely to have a similar claim in relation to articles published by The Sun."