Prince Harry faces months of waiting before learning if he has won his High Court phone hacking claim against tabloid newspapers.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, gave evidence for two days this week, accusing journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers of years of unlawful intrusion into his private life.
He said newspapers had “blood on their hands”, wrecked his romantic relationships and resorted to hacking, blagging medical information, and unlawful tracking to obtain revelations about him.
The focus of the High Court trial was on Thursday set to switch to soap actress Nikki Sanderson, who — like Harry — alleges she was subjected to intrusions into her private life and phone hacking.
Evidence in the trial will conclude at the end of this month, but Mr Justice Fancourt is then likely to spend several months considering the case before delivering his verdict. Questioned yesterday on his hopes for the outcome, Harry said he would “feel some injustice” if he does not emerge victorious from the landmark legal battle.
Ms Sanderson — a star of Coronation Street and Hollyoaks — is set to start giving evidence either late today or tomorrow morning, with co-claimants Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, waiting for their turns in the witness box.
After Harry’s evidence ended, the Daily Mirror’s former royal correspondent Jane Kerr told the court she instructed private investigators on hundreds of occasions, but said she did not realise their hunts for information involved alleged illegal activities.
Ms Kerr, whose byline is on several stories that Harry complains about, said the investigators included a former Eldorado actor and a Hell’s Angel biker.
“The main thing was to check the story was accurate,” she said, adding: “I would expect them to carry out their investigations of their stories as I would have done, and I would have expected them to do it properly.”
The trial continues.
