Pivotal Showdown: Prince Harry's 2nd Trial Proceeds Amid Explosive Revelations, Unveiling New Depths Beyond Phone Hacking Accusations

Prince Harry's lawsuit against News Group Newspapers will proceed to trial in early next year, excluding his phone hacking claims. On Thursday, July 27, London's High Court ruled that the lawsuit against NGN, the owner of The Sun, can move forward. However, Judge Timothy Fancourt dismissed the phone hacking allegations due to their age. Fancourt acknowledged that the Duke of Sussex, aged 38, was aware of the British phone hacking scandal and could have pursued these claims earlier, but he permitted the case to proceed based on other allegations of unlawful information gathering.

Harry's legal team previously asserted that he was unable to initiate a lawsuit regarding phone hacking earlier due to a confidential arrangement between British newspapers and the royal family. According to Harry, his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, endorsed this alleged agreement, which aimed to prevent members of the royal family from undergoing court examination concerning potentially embarrassing voicemails acquired by journalists.

In 2012, Harry became aware of this purported deal after discovering that he and his brother, Prince William, were prohibited from pursuing legal action against NGN (News Group Newspapers) based on the terms of the agreement. In April, Harry reported in court documents that William, aged 41, reached a significant settlement with NGN in 2020 for historical phone hacking incidents.

NGN, however, refuted the existence of any secret agreement and Fancourt stated on Thursday that Harry failed to provide any evidence substantiating such a deal. Moreover, the allegations of phone hacking exceeded the legal time limit for legal action, which rendered them invalid.

"In regards to Harry's claims regarding other unlawful means of gathering information, they must be subjected to trial," Fancourt asserted. "This particular case does not allow for a clear identification of one party as the definitive victor."

NGN, which previously owned News of the World, ceased operations in 2011. Prior to its closure, journalists employed private investigators to unlawfully access voicemail accounts belonging to individuals of interest. In 2007, an editor from News of the World along with a private investigator were convicted for illicitly intercepting phone messages of members belonging to the royal family. Although NGN acknowledges the occurrence of phone hacking at News of the World, the company maintains that no misconduct ever transpired at The Sun.

The Associated Press reported that NGN's spokesperson hailed Fancourt's ruling on the phone hacking allegations as a "major win" that considerably narrows down the extent of Prince Harry's claim against the company.

Harry is currently pursuing legal action against several British newspapers for alleged unlawful acquisition of personal information about him and his family. He is specifically suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror and is part of a group lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, the owner of the Daily Mail.

In a groundbreaking move, Harry recently provided testimony in court against Mirror Group Newspapers, making him the first senior royal to do so in over a century. In his witness statement, he asserted that the tabloid's coverage of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy directly contributed to their breakup. The couple was involved in an on-and-off relationship from 2004 to 2010.

"I had complete trust in Chelsy, my girlfriend, as she did in me, which allowed us to share our most intimate details. Unfortunately, due to these circumstances, she concluded that a life as a Royal was not suitable for her, which deeply saddened me at that time."

On the other hand, The Mirror Group refuted the allegations of hacking Harry's phone and argued that the prince filed the lawsuit after a considerable delay. The judge is expected to deliver a verdict in the coming two to three months.