Prince Harry v Daily Mail live: Publisher carried out 'systematic' unlawful information gathering, court hears
BBC News4 days
Prince Harry, Elton John Sue Daily Mail Over Spying Claims
Is the Daily Mail guilty of industrial-scale illegal surveillance, or is this lawsuit a manufactured gravy train?
Above: Prince Harry arrives at The Royal Courts of Justice in London, England on Jan. 19. Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The Daily Mail systematically deployed private investigators for decades to illegally invade privacy through phone hacking, blagging medical records and bugging devices. Evidence shows Associated Newspapers spent over £3 million on unlawful surveillance between 1991 and 2011, with investigators bragging about accessing even the Queen's medical records and deliberately concealing wrongdoing from public inquiries. This industrial-scale operation destroyed lives and relationships, leaving victims paranoid and isolated while the Mail profited from stolen intimate details.
Narrative B
This lawsuit represents a manufactured gravy train built on paid witnesses and fabricated evidence rather than genuine wrongdoing. The star witness, Gavin Burrows, now admits his statements were forged under what he describes as blackmail, revealing a scheme where investigators received £5,000 monthly payments and stories were planted on websites specifically to create artificial "watershed moments", circumventing legal time limits. The accusations rely entirely on circumstantial guesswork while legitimate journalism from trusted sources gets smeared.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 70% chance that any part of Great Britain will be under monarchy in 2075, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Public Figures
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0