Prince Harry court hears journalist deny unlawful newsgathering
Prince Harry’s legal battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail returned to the High Court on Thursday as a former Mail on Sunday diary editor told the court she had “real contacts” close to the Duke of Sussex and denied obtaining information through unlawful means.
Katie Nicholl said Harry’s friends “were not all tight-lipped” and insisted she had sources in his inner circle, as she gave evidence in the group action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which denies the allegations and is defending the claim, The Independent reported.
Ms Nicholl was challenged in court by Mr David Sherborne, representing ANL, over whether she had overstated her relationship with Prince Harry and exaggerated her contacts. She told the hearing she recalled meeting him at a party at Kensington Roof Gardens in London around April 2003, saying it was memorable because “it’s not all the time you get invited into a party by one of the most famous princes in the world.”
Her evidence was given in a case brought by a group of public figures including the Duke of Sussex, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, Ms Sadie Frost, Ms Liz Hurley, Mr David Furnish and Sir Simon Hughes; the trial is due to conclude at the end of March, with Mr Justice Nicklin expected to give a written judgment later. The proceedings follow earlier evidence in which the court heard claims about Harry socialising with a journalist at a London party as the dispute over alleged unlawful information gathering continues.
The court also heard that Ms Nicholl is named as author of seven articles in Harry’s claim, including pieces involving his former nanny Ms Tiggy Legge-Bourke and his relationship with Ms Chelsy Davy, with Ms Nicholl saying her information came from personal networks rather than unlawful methods.
The case centres on allegations of unlawful information gathering, which ANL has strongly denied, and the High Court is expected to continue hearing evidence before the trial concludes later this month.
