Prince Harry's claim over allegations of unlawful information gathering against the publisher of The Sun will go to trial, the High Court in London has ruled.
The 38-year-old alleged he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) - publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World - and launched a claim for damages.
At a hearing in April, NGN asked Mr Justice Fancourt to throw out the case, arguing it was brought too late because the Duke of Sussex should have known sooner he had a potential claim.
In a ruling today, the judge concluded that he cannot bring his claim relating to phone hacking, but that his claim over other allegations - including use of private investigators - should go to trial, due to begin next January.
The judge also refused to allow him to rely on an alleged "secret agreement" between the UK royal family and senior executives working for media mogul Rupert Murdoch as part of his claim.
A spokesperson for NGN said after the ruling that the judge had "dismissed" Prince Harry's phone hacking claims against its two titles in a "significant victory" for the publisher, adding that the judgment "substantially reduces the scope of his legal claim".
At a hearing in London earlier this month, lawyers for the prince said there was evidence to support the existence of the agreement, including emails between senior executives at the Rupert Murdoch-owned parent companies of NGN and palace staff in 2017 and 2018.
David Sherborne, for the duke, also said in written arguments the fact that Prince William settled a claim against NGN "for a very large sum of money" in 2020 "supports the contention that there was a secret agreement in place".
But Anthony Hudson, for NGN, told the court the bid to change the duke's claim is a "radical intended revision" of his case and he is "trying to ride two horses galloping in completely different directions" and "hedge his bets".
Mr Hudson said the alleged agreement was "such a secret agreement that no-one apart from the claimant knows anything about it, and even the claimant knows very little about it".
The barrister also said there was an "extraordinary delay" between Prince Harry launching his claim against NGN in 2019 and first raising the issue of the "secret agreement" following the publisher’s strike-out bid.
The NGN spokesperson said: "As we reach the tail end of litigation, NGN is drawing a line under disputed matters, some of which date back more than 20 years ago."
They said the judge had found the prince’s claims over the alleged agreement were "not plausible or credible", adding: "It is quite clear there was never any such agreement and it is only the duke who has ever asserted there was."
Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in May that a claim by Hugh Grant over alleged unlawful information gathering - other than allegations of phone hacking - can go ahead to be tried next January.
The actor, 62, is suing NGN in relation to The Sun only, having previously settled a claim with the publisher in 2012 relating to the News Of The World.
NGN has previously settled a number of claims since the phone-hacking scandal broke in relation to the News Of The World, which closed in 2011, but has consistently denied unlawful information gathering took place at The Sun.
Prince Harry has been involved in six legal battles at the High Court in London in recent months.
His civil litigation has seen him bring claims against three major newspaper publishers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, as well as legal challenges against the UK Home Office in relation to his personal security.
Source: Press Association
