Prince Harry returned to the UK in January for yet another court case following his history-making appearance in a 2023 case.
On June 6, 2023, the Duke of Sussex appeared at London’s High Court, and took to the witness stand; something a British royal hadn’t done since 1891.
Prince Harry will be the first royal to give evidence in court in over a century.
(Credit: Getty)
Harry’s cross-examination in court formed part of the legal case he and multiple other high-profile figures – such as singer Cheryl, actor Ricky Tomlinson and the estate of the late singer George Michael – have brought against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
The claimants allege that MGN, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, gathered information unlawfully by phone hacking and ‘blagging’ – gaining information through deception and through use of private investigators.
Prince Harry has specifically alleged that roughly 140 articles published by MGN between 1996 and 2010 contained information that was obtained via unlawful methods. MGN contested all claims and have even argued that some have been brought too late.
On January 19, 2026, Prince Harry returned to the UK to act as a witness taking legal action against Associated News Papers (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. He joins many high profile figures.
Claimants have accused ANL of unlawful information gathering, including using private investigators to place listening devices inside vehicles, and accessing private records and phone conversations.
A witness statement from the Duke of Sussex – released on January 21 – named several people he claimed to be in “regular contact” with during the period covered by his claim. His claim runs from about 1996 to 2014.
According to People, Prince Harry presented a list of contacts, including Prince William, King Charles, and ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
“HRH The Prince of Wales, my brother William,” the statement read, as per People. “Due to his position, the press have always been very interested in him. As brothers, we naturally discussed personal aspects of our lives as we trusted each other with the highly sensitive information we shared about our private, family and professional lives.”
“HM King Charles III, my father,” the statement continued. “During the Relevant Period, my father and I were in regular contact. He was also of great interest to the press due to his position. My private information would have been present on voicemails, containing highly personal, private and sensitive information, left on his landline phone by me, other members of my family and the Royal Household.”
“Chelsy Davy, a former girlfriend. We met in about early 2004 and were in a relationship which continued, on and off, until around mid-2010. Our relationship was long distance for the majority of the time we were together, with Chelsy and I often living in different countries,” it continued, as per People.
“We, naturally, spoke about all types of personal matters, including all aspects of our relationship and this was often through calls, texts and voicemails left on her mobile and landline phone in South Africa,” the statement continued. “As she was my girlfriend, I trusted Chelsy with the most private of information and vice versa. I know that [private investigator] Gavin Burrows admitted doing lots of unlawful activities in respect of her which is deeply troubling but explains how Associated got so much information about us (often before others).”
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Aside from Prince Harry’s previous court case, the last time a royal gave evidence in court was in the 19th century. During the trial of the Royal Baccarat Scandal, also known as the Tranby Croft Affair, Edward VII (the King of England from 1901 to 1910) was cross-examined.
For context, The Royal Baccarat scandal began in September 1890 at Tranby Croft, the then-home of Arthur Wilson and his family.
The then-Prince Edward was asked to stay at Arthur’s Victorian country house for a few days and during the first night of his stay, he and all the other guests played baccarat – a gambling card game, which was illegal at the time.
During the game, Arthur’s son Stanley thought he saw Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming, one of the guests and a friend of Edward’s, add to his stake illegally.
The last royal to give evidence in court was King Edward VII and he did so in 1891.
(Credit: Getty)
Stanley informed his family and the next night, when everyone all played baccarat again, they kept a close eye on William. The Wilson family believed William was acting suspiciously so they sought advice from Edward’s advisers Lord George Coventry and Lieutenant-General Owen Williams.
With Edward’s approval, George and Owen confronted William and persuaded him to sign a document that declared he’d never play card games again in exchange for the guests’ silence.
However, the news of William allegedly cheating at baccarat spread. William believed the Wilson family had taken their accusations public so he demanded a retraction letter. When they refused, William filed a writ for slander.
The case was heard in June 1891 and during the trial, Edward was cross-examined.
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While in the witness box, Edward said he did not see William cheat and didn’t know anything about it until George and Owen informed him of the matter.
Ultimately, the jury ruled against William and in favour of the Wilson family. The day after the trial ended, William was dismissed from the British Army and was highly ostracised from society for the rest of his life.
In regards to Edward, the then-Prince was rather unpopular for a few years following the trial. And while he continued to gamble after the case, he did so more discreetly than before. He also never played baccarat again, taking up whist instead.
