The 14 articles at the centre of Harry’s case against the Daily Mail’s publisher
Harry claims 14 articles published by Associated Newspapers Limited were based on unlawful information gathering
The Duke of Sussex claims 14 articles published by Associated Newspapers Limited were based on unlawful information gathering.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Harry said the stories were written between 2001 and 2013 – and “focus primarily and in a highly intrusive and damaging way, on the relationships which he formed, or rather tried to form, during those years prior to meeting his now wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex”.
ANL has strongly denied wrongdoing and is defending the claim, along with other cases brought by other household names including Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
Giving evidence on the third day of the trial, the duke, 41, said he did not complain about some of the 14 articles at the heart of his claim due to the “institution I was in”.
Here is a look at what articles Harry’s case is about:
Harry godfather to Tiggy Legge-Bourke’s child
The subject of the first article under scrutiny is the decision to name the Duke of Sussex as the godfather to the child of Tiggy Legge-Bourke – his former nanny.
According to barrister David Sherborne’s written submissions, only three people were aware of the decision prior to the article being written by Mail On Sunday journalist Katie Nicholl, with nobody in the wider family, including the now King, being informed.
Mr Sherborne said there is “no plausibly legitimate source for the information” within the September 2001 article, titled “The Godfather: Prince Harry on Pram Duty”.
In response to the claim of unlawful information gathering, Antony White KC, on behalf of ANL, said the article was “entirely sourced from legitimate sources”, and that it was likely the information came from the late Queen’s close confidante and first cousin once removed, Lady Elizabeth Anson – a “close friend” of Ms Legge-Bourke.
Harry’s relationship with Natalie Pinkham
The second article the duke claims is based on unlawful information gathering concerns his reported relationship with TV presenter Natalie Pinkham.
The December 2002 story, given the headline “Harry’s Older Woman”, said the duke sent text messages to her “all the time”.
Mr Sherborne said the information reported by Ms Nicholl was only known to an “intimate circle of friends”, and it was “not credible” that she obtained it from a club promoter or a freelance journalist.
In response to the allegation, ANL said the journalist “had several sources who knew both Ms Pinkham and the Duke of Sussex well at the time”.
Mr White added that the accusation that Ms Nicholl unlawfully obtained Ms Pinkham’s mobile number “is nothing more than guesswork and assumption”.
Harry’s relationship with Laura Gerard-Leigh
The third article concerns the duke’s relationship with his first serious girlfriend, Laura Gerard-Leigh, and their “intentions and habits as a couple”.
Harry alleges it is “extraordinary” that the information in the May 2003 story, titled “Harry falls for a girl from Glossy Posse”, made its way into the press because of the “privacy he had attached to it and the ‘tiny’ circle of friends who knew”.
ANL said the story, written by Ms Nicholl and freelance journalist Andy Buckwell, was partly based on photographs taken of the pair with friends at the Badminton Horse Trials.
Mr White said in written submissions that Ms Nicholl obtained information about the duke from his friends after socialising with them, and they “would often tell her who the Duke of Sussex was meeting up with, going out with, enjoying texts and conversations with as they had direct knowledge of his social life”.
Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy
The fourth article concerns “intimate details” about the duke’s romantic relationship with Zimbabwean businesswoman Chelsy Davy – including “his personal feelings of paranoia about the romance leaking to the press”.
Mr Sherborne said the November 2004 story by Mail On Sunday journalists Caroline Graham and Barbara Jones, titled “Harry Besotted with Chelsy, his first true love”, is based on “information unlawfully obtained from British Airways”, and their explanations as to how they obtained the information is “nonsensical”.
In response to the claim, ANL said Ms Graham’s recollection was that she was told of Ms Davy’s name by local freelancers at a ranch where the duke was staying in South Africa.
Mr White added that the “evidence does not support” the allegations that Ms Graham “unlawfully obtained Ms Davy’s flight plans”.
Harry keeps in touch with Ms Davy on the phone
The fifth article concerns information that the duke and Ms Davy “kept in touch by mobile phone”.
Mr Sherborne said the information within the December 2004 story, titled “How Harry fell in love”, was “jealously guarded and kept private by himself and Ms Davy” and it was “implausible that such information was obtained by legitimate means”.
ANL said much of the information in the article, written by Daily Mail royal correspondent Rebecca English and reporter Sam Greenhill, was “already in the public domain through previous reporting”, with the line about the pair keeping in touch on the phone being Ms English’s own “obvious” inference.
Harry talks about future career and relationship with Ms Davy
The sixth article, titled “It’s the Army or me”, is also alleged to contain unlawfully gathered information about the duke’s relationship with Ms Davy.
Mr Sherborne said the February 2005 story contained information about their activities together and intimate feelings for each other – including a phone call Harry made from a costume rental shop.
The barrister said the level of detail in the story, including details such as Ms Davy describing the duke as a “wuss” to friends, is “extraordinary and it stretches plausibility to suggest that any legitimate source could have provided such detail”.
In response, ANL said Ms Jones, who is named as the reporter who wrote the story, said the information was sourced from a friend of Ms Davy’s brother, and allegations that it was unlawfully gathered were “groundless”.
Harry’s gift for Ms Davy
The seventh article, from January 2006 and written by Ms English, also concerns the duke’s relationship with Ms Davy and a present he had given her.
Mr Sherborne said the information in the story, titled “I’m mad about Harry”, would “only have been known to himself and Ms Davy, or otherwise a very tight circle of close friends”.
The barrister also alleges 57 payments were made to three different private investigators for “unlawfully obtained information within a short period of the time” of the article.
ANL said Ms English’s evidence is that the information came from a local freelance journalist in Mozambique, who approached the Daily Mail with the story about “events in the family holiday based on what they had seen and heard from eyewitness including as to gifts exchanged”.
The publisher has also said that linking the payments to the article is “pure guesswork”.
William and Harry discuss photos of mother Diana, Princess of Wales
The eighth article, written by Ms English in July 2006, concerns conversations between the duke and his brother the Prince of Wales about a statement issued in response to photographs published by Italian media of their “dying mother” Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mr Sherborne said information for the story, titled “Let Her Rest in Peace”, “would not have (been) released” by Clarence House.
He also said a payment of £1,145 for “Confidential Enqs” was made to a private investigator around the date of the story.
ANL said Ms English’s evidence is that the information was provided by a palace press officer and that she “confirmed” with them whether or not William and Harry would object to the story, adding that she was “told they would not”.
Mr White again said any link between the payment and the story was “pure guesswork”.
The state of Harry and Ms Davy’s relationship
The ninth article, written by Ms Nicholl and titled “Harry and Chelsy’s love at crossroads”, again concerned the duke’s relationship with Ms Davy.
Mr Sherborne said the duke had a “reasonable expectation” the information from the September 2006 story about the state of their relationship would remain private and that it must have come from “phone records or voicemails”.
ANL said the sourcing of the information about the duke discussing his future with Ms Davy was “entirely legitimate” and likely to have come from “Ms Davy’s friend in South Africa”.
Mr White said allegations of unlawful information gathering was “unsupported by any evidence whatsoever”.
Harry and William’s plans for Diana memorial
The 10th article, from May 2007 and titled “Princes and Palace clash on ‘all-night’ Diana party”, concerns Harry and William’s plans for a memorial concert for their mother.
Mr Sherborne again said the duke had a “reasonable expectation” the information in the story written by Ms Nicholl, which was clearly of personal and intimate importance to both of them”, would remain private.
The barrister said the inference Sir Elton John would attend the concert “stretches credulity beyond belief”, given the singer and the duke “had been leaving voicemails about this fact”.
ANL said the article was based on entirely legitimate sources and “there is no evidence to the contrary” – saying the information was highly likely to have been sourced from Lady Anson.
Harry and Ms Davy’s holiday in Africa
The 11th article, titled “Harry takes Chelsy on make-or-break holiday” again focused on the duke’s relationship with Ms Davy, including their holiday together in Africa and her plans to “quit university and return to South Africa”.
Mr Sherborne said the December 2007 story made Harry “fear for his safety given its details as to his movements and location”, and that the information in the article had “serious security implications”.
The barrister said a private investigator provided the author of the story Ms English with Ms Davy’s “exact flight details and seat number” for her trip to South Africa and a “suggestion to plant someone next to her”.
ANL said Ms English’s evidence is the information is likely to have come from “sources developed at Leeds University” who were friends with Ms Davy – adding that the Daily Star newspaper had been provided with the same information.
Mr White said there is “no evidence of the ‘commission’ by Ms English and no evidence of related communications” between her and a private investigator in relation to an alleged £200 payment.
Harry staying with Ms Davy at weekends
The 12th article, written by Ms Nicholl and titled “Harry moves in with Chelsy”, again focused on the duke’s relationship with Ms Davy and their “plans as a couple”.
Mr Sherborne said the story from January 2010 caused Harry to fear for his safety because it gave details as to his “daily habits”.
The barrister said the information, including the duke giving Ms Davy a set of keys and location of royal protection officers, could only have come from a close friend of Ms Davy who would “not have been inclined to betray their confidence”.
ANL said Ms Nicholl was given a “series of tips” by a friend of Ms Davy and any allegation of unlawful information gathering is “unfounded”.
Ms Davy’s reservations about Harry reunion
The 13th article complained about by the duke, titled “Harry cooks up a reunion dinner at Chelsy’s”, again focused on his relationship with Ms Davy and details of their “plans with and feelings for each other”.
Mr Sherborne said the information in the October 2011 story was “archetypally private” and would “only have been known to the two of them, or possibly a close friend of theirs”.
The barrister said there is “simply no plausible basis by which the information could have been lawfully obtained by Ms Nicholl”.
In response, ANL said Ms Nicholl’s evidence is the story was likely sourced from a tip from a freelance journalist.
Mr White said no specific allegation of unlawful information gathering had been made in respect of the article, and the duke’s case appeared to be “based on no more than inference from the content of the article.”
Harry’s girlfriend flies to Necker Island without him
The final article complained about by the duke concerns his ex-girlfriend and actress Cressida Bonas and their plans.
Mr Sherborne said the December 2013 story by Ms English, titled “Harry faces lonely New Year’s Eve after girlfriend Cressida flies to Richard Branson’s private island without him” presented “serious and obvious concerns” about the duke’s security.
The barrister claimed Ms English was in possession of confidential flight records which he alleged was obtained unlawfully.
ANL said Ms English’s evidence was that, in response to a question about whether Ms Bonas would be attending a Christmas dinner party at Sandringham, the duke’s press secretary confirmed she would not be and would be travelling to Necker Island with her half-sister Isabella Branson.
Mr White said it was “straightforward, legitimate reporting and there is no evidence to contradict this”.
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