Prince Harry has arrived at the High Court as legal proceedings begin in a phone-tapping and privacy case involving Associated Newspapers.
He is among a group of claimants in accusations against the publisher of The Daily Mail newspaper.
Associated Newspapers denies the allegations and a preliminary High Court hearing starting today, will consider legal arguments and a judge will decide whether it will go any further.
Footage showed a smiling prince flanked by bodyguards arriving at at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, dressed in a suit and tie and black winter coat, and surrounded by journalists.
At one point, he bumped into a photographer as he walked through the gates of the courthouse.
Prince Harry court case – live: Harry unexpectedly turns up
Harry, 38, is bringing the action along with others including actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, Sir Elton John and his husband, filmmaker David Furnish, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon OBE.
They allege they have been victims of “abhorrent criminal activity” and “gross breaches of privacy” by Associated Newspapers Limited – and announced in October they were bringing claims for misuse of private information against ANL, also the publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline.
It is alleged the unlawful acts included hiring private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside cars and homes, the recording of private phone conversations, accessing bank accounts through illicit means and paying police officials for inside information.
The publisher has described the accusations as “preposterous smears” and a “pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone-hacking scandal”.
A spokesperson for ANL also said the allegations were “unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims, based on no credible evidence”.
The four-day hearing is set to include ANL’s bid for the claims to be dismissed without a trial.
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