Harry one of two claimants still suing Sun publisher, court told

The Duke of Sussex is "one of 2 claimants" continuing claims against the steadfast of The Sun implicit allegations of unlawful accusation gathering, his barrister told the High Court.

Former Labour lawman person Tom Watson was besides continuing his assertion against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the tribunal heard connected Friday, aft 39 cases were settled since a erstwhile proceeding successful July.

Both cases are expected to spell to proceedings successful January 2025, with the 40-year-old prince alleging journalists and backstage investigators moving for NGN - which besides published the present defunct News of the World - targeted him.

NGN has antecedently denied unlawful enactment happened astatine The Sun.

The High Court successful London saw some sides return, asking a justice to regularisation connected preliminary issues earlier the proceedings successful 2025.

These included whether Prince Harry could beryllium allowed entree to "relevant emails sent betwixt 5 email accounts of NGN employees and 5 employees of the Royal Household" betwixt January 2013 and September 2019, Mr Sherborne said.

The barrister said the Royal Household employees were those "involved successful Royal Communications and the backstage secretaries to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".

His barrister, David Sherborne, said the emails would beryllium "highly applicable successful presumption of providing the afloat representation not lone arsenic to the existent cognition of the claimant but besides arsenic to the presumption successful narration to constructive knowledge, based connected what the Palace was being told by NGN".

Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, said successful his written submissions that the bid to spot the emails was opposed, saying they were "not applicable to the pleaded issues" successful the prince's lawsuit and were "not indispensable to guarantee a just proceedings volition instrumentality place".

Mr Justice Fancourt said it was "unsatisfactory that truthful small advancement has been made", adding that determination needs to beryllium "further enactment done connected some sides".

The tribunal heard the proceedings is expected to past betwixt six and 8 weeks, and a further proceeding is owed to beryllium held successful December.

Others who person settled their claims successful caller years see actress Sienna Miller, ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, and actor Hugh Grant.

Grant antecedently claimed journalists had utilized backstage investigators to pat his telephone and burgle his location - NGN denied the claims against it. He said successful April that helium "did not privation to accept" the "enormous sum of money" helium had been offered to settee but a proceedings was apt to beryllium "very expensive".

A spokesperson for NGN said it published an apology successful 2011 to "victims of voicemail interception by the News of the World", adding that the institution had "publicly committed to paying fiscal compensation" and had since "paid settlements to those with due claims".

They added: "It is communal practice, and so encouraged successful litigation, to question to settee claims extracurricular tribunal wherever some parties hold without the outgo of a trial."