News Story

The Duke of Sussex appeared on the verge of tears as he concluded his evidence at the High Court in his trial against the publisher of the Daily Mail, saying “they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery”.

Harry, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are all bringing legal action against ANL over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

This includes claims that information for articles was obtained by carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as phone tapping and “blagging” private records.

ANL has strongly denied wrongdoing and is defending the claims.

Harry spent around two-and-a-half hours answering questions from ANL’s barrister on Wednesday, before he was asked how the proceedings had made him feel by his barrister David Sherborne.

The duke said: “It’s fundamentally wrong to put us through this again when all we wanted was an apology and accountability.

“It’s a horrible experience.”

Sounding emotional and appearing to be on the verge of tears, he continued: “They continue to come after me, they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery my Lord.”

Leaving the courtroom, he continued to appear upset, sniffling as he exited through the door.

The duke said the case against ANL felt like a “recurring traumatic experience” and a “repeat of the past”, adding: “I have never believed that my life is open season to be commercialised by these people.”

He later said that the “claim that I don’t have any rights to any privacy is disgusting”.