A high-stakes case for Harry and for publisher ANLpublished at 13:39 BST
13:39 BST
Tom Symonds
News correspondent
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
In previous legal battles with the press, Prince Harry won 15 claims in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers and separately received “substantial” damages and an apology in a settlement with the publisher of the Sun.
The case against ANL was potentially his last major court challenge to a newspaper publisher, but his most difficult.
ANL has always maintained it wasn’t involved in unlawful information gathering.
The publisher said it used what it calls “inquiry agents” until 2007 to get publicly listed addresses and phone numbers.
This “all or nothing” defence, plus an aggressive public response to Prince Harry’s claims, mean this is a high-stakes case for both the prince and the publisher.
If he loses badly, an already critical Daily Mail could well hit back at him in its coverage of this trial and other aspects of his life.
But he has always showed a determination for these battles, borne partly of an ongoing concern for his privacy, and a feeling that the Royal Family was wrong to advise him when younger not to take legal action.