Why is Prince Harry suing The Daily Mail?

Prince Harry is currently part of two separate legal actions against ANL, the parent company of the Daily Mail. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry will be one of seven high-profile figures taking the publisher of the Daily Mail to court on Monday over alleged unlawful information-gathering at its titles. The four-day hearing is part of a legal action undertaken by Harry, Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and others against Associated News Limited (ANL) for misuse of private information. ANL denies the claims.

In a joint statement released in October, the group said they had become aware of "compelling and highly distressing evidence that they have been the victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy". The lawsuit is just one of three the Duke of Sussex has launched against British newspapers that are currently in the spotlight ahead of his father King Charles's coronation on 6 May. Yahoo breaks down what the legal action is about and why it's happening now.

Why is Prince Harry suing The Daily Mail's publishers?

Harry and the other claimants are suing the publishers of the Daily Mail -- ANL -- over a series of allegations of unlawful activity that they claim the paper has done to them.

Elton John and his husband David Furnish are also part of the claim against ANL alongside Harry. (Getty Images)

They allege ANL hired private investigators to put secret listening devices in their homes and cars and impersonated individuals to gain access to confidential medical information about them.

Other allegations include that people were paid to listen in on live telephone calls and record them, that bank accounts and other financial information were "accessed through illicit means and manipulation" -- according to the Guardian -- and that police officers were paid for private information. These officers are also alleged by the claimants to have had links to private investigators. The publisher denies the allegations and has previously described them as "preposterous smears" and a "pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal".

Which other celebrities are involved in the legal action?

Harry isn't the only big name involved in the suit.

He is joined by Elton John -- a friend of his later mother Diana's -- and his husband David Furnish. Actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are also claimants. Story continues

Sir Simon Hughes -- former MP and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party -- is also named as a claimant.

In 2021, Meghan successfully sued ANL for invasion of privacy and infringement of copyright, after the Mail on Sunday printed parts of a private letter she had written to her father. (Getty Images)

Baroness Doreen Lawrence, campaigner on police reform and founder of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, is also part of the action.

Is Harry suing any other newspapers?

Harry is also suing ANL over an article about separate legal proceedings he has launched against the Home Office regarding security arrangements for his family when they are in the UK. The Mail on Sunday article in question was published in February 2022 and headlined: "Exclusive: How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret... then - just minutes after the story broke - his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute."

It alleged Harry had tried to keep secret details of his legal fight to reinstate his police protection after stepping back as a senior royal in 2020, and that his aides had then tried to put a positive spin on it.

Harry has used a visit to the UK to unveil a statue of his late mother with his brother William in 2021 as an example of the danger he faces whilst in the country without what adequate security. (Getty Images)

Last year, a judge ruled parts of the article were defamatory and likely to mislead readers. During a hearing last week, ANL contested the claim arguing the article expressed an "honest opinion" and did not cause "serious harm" to his reputation. They said Harry's case was "built on sand".

The case is ongoing. The other legal action Harry is currently involved in with the British media is against Mirror Group Newspapers, and relates to historic allegations of phone hacking and "unlawful information" gathering. This lawsuit will go to trial in May and is expected to last around seven weeks, with the potential for Harry to give evidence.

He is not the only claimant in that trial either, with other parties like TV presenter Ian Wright and the estate of late singer George Michael also alleging they were targeted by phone hacking.

MGN is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.

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