The trial of the High Court legal action being brought by the Duke of Sussex and six other household names against the Daily Mail’s publisher will start in the new year.
The group – which includes Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence – allege that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) carried out or commissioned unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records and accessing private phone conversations.
Politician Sir Simon Hughes, actress Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are also in the group.
ANL “vehemently” denies the “preposterous allegations” and is defending the legal action.
More than three years after the claim was first filed in October 2022, the trial is due to start on January 14, and is expected to last nine weeks.
At a hearing on Thursday, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that a number of documents need to be disclosed before January 2, and also dealt with a number of other issues ahead of the trial.
