Up to £38m legal costs, 4-year wait and 14 news articles: Harry’s court battle with Daily Mail publisher in numbers

In a defining moment of his evidence to the High Court, Prince Harry appeared, briefly, to slip under the weight of emotion.Before making claims over “24-hour surveillance” and “people write about you claiming it is in the public interest when it clearly isn’t”, the Duke of Sussex was told by judge Mr Justice Nicklin that, as a witness, he did not have to argue his point; he just had to answer the questions put to him.Harry said: “I just want you to have an idea of what it is like living in this world.”

For 45 days, the Royal Courts of Justice hosted a trial which heard claims by Harry and six other household names, including Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, against the Daily Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).Alleging unlawful information gathering, from landline tapping to obtaining information through deception, the claimants had suffered “violation”, “profound betrayal” and “shock and horror”, the court heard.But it was Prince Harry, in his third legal dispute with a newspaper group, who caught most of the media attention, as he shed light on his relationships under the tabloid spotlight during a two-hour exchange with lawyers acting on behalf of ANL.

open image in galleryPrince Harry reacts as he walks outside the High Court, during the first week of the trial earlier this year (Reuters)ANL strongly denied the claims, saying it had a “culture of professionalism and discipline”. Antony White KC said the group’s claim had been conceived by press reform campaign group Hacked Off, as a “political campaign”, and that the publisher had mounted a “robust and comprehensive” defence. The stakes for both sides are high as Mr Justice Nicklin hands down his ruling on Tuesday.

Here, The Independent looks at the case by numbers:Two hours: Tetchy Harry faces questioningAs the Duke of Sussex took to the witness stand, laughter rippled through the courtroom when he admitted not being able to remember how he was referred to the last time he was in court – but by the end of the session, Harry was close to tears.Answering questions from barrister David Sherborne, for the group suing ANL, Harry said: “They continue to come after me, they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord.” Dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, Harry spent around two hours in the witness box, swearing an oath on the Bible before he started giving evidence.

Taking notes and asking for hard copies of news articles that he was being questioned about, he said he did not have “leaky” social circles.He said: “When you are in a situation like this, the moment something private is out, your circle of trust and knowledge decreases over time.” He added: “The stuff in these articles is not the kind of stuff I would talk about openly.”

Harry also claimed he was “forced” to work with reporters and said it was “beyond cruel” to publish an article about “confidential discussions” he had after a photo of a dying Diana was published in the Italian press.open image in galleryThe press turned out in force for the appearance of Harry at the Royal Courts of Justice (AFP/Getty)In his written evidence, Harry described an article published in the Daily Mail in July 2006 as “really disgusting”, saying he was having private discussions with his brother, the now-Prince of Wales. On the witness stand, he said: “The amount of information and detail in this article would not have come from Clarence House; they were plainly listening in to calls as well as spending large sums on private investigators.”

ANL strongly denied wrongdoing and is defending the claims. Four years, a 45-day trial: Wait for judgment after claim papers were first served October, 2022 was when the claim form was first filed by the seven claimants against ANL, before, almost four years later, the trial started at the Royal Courts of Justice on 19 January. It lasted 45 days until 31 March, when closing arguments from all parties were complete.

On 7 July this year, 1,370 days after the claim forms were first filed on 6 October, a judgment was expected.Seven claimants: Harry among household names waiting on ruling The Duke of Sussex and a group of other household names face a wait to find out whether they have won their High Court cases against the Daily Mail’s publisher. During an 11-week trial, the High Court in London heard claims brought by the group – which also included Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish – against ANL of unlawful information gathering.

The rest of the group are Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes.open image in gallerySir Elton John giving evidence during the trial (PA)Lady Lawrence claimed the Daily Mail was “pretending” to support her in getting justice for her son Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993. Her lawyers claim she was “extensively targeted” by private investigators to obtain information, including through corrupt payments to police.

Sir Elton and Mr Furnish alleged 10 a