Another claimant, the Duke of Sussex, was seen entering the court after a spokesperson said he would be present “to support, and show solidarity”.
Joining Hurley and Prince Harry in bringing the lawsuit against ANL are:
Fellow actress Sadie Frost
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish
Sir Simon Hughes, the former Liberal Democrat MP
Baroness Doreen Lawrence, a campaigner whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in south London in 1993
The claimants have accused ANL of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” for stories between 1993 and “beyond” 2018, including through private investigators and blagging.
ANL has previously denied allegations of unlawful information gathering.
White, representing the publisher, has said the claimants are “clutching at straws” and that the claims had been brought too late.
Privacy cases must usually be brought within six years of the alleged breach, unless victims can show they could not bring a case at the time.
White argued the reporters behind the stories had provided a “compelling account of a pattern of legitimate sourcing of articles”, saying that in some cases celebrities’ friends and social circles contributed as sources to Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday journalists.
In court on Wednesday, he suggested Prince Harry knew his social circle was “leaky”, to which the prince, giving evidence, responded: “My social circles were not leaky, I want to make that absolutely clear.”
Prince Harry was visibly emotional in the witness box as he said the publisher made the life of his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, “an absolute misery”.
The prince’s voice broke as he said the court battle had been a “horrible experience” for his family and that all he wanted was “an apology and some accountability”.
The case continues and is expected to last nine weeks. This is a civil trial, so there is no jury and the judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, will decide the case on his own.