Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne is now discussing "blagging" calls. This is when someone impersonates another person, to gain information about them that is private.

He speaks about private investigator Steve Whittamore, who has submitted evidence that he practised phone blagging.

Sherborne says Whittamore has claimed it would have been known by those employing him that he was gaining information unlawfully.

He points to evidence, in the form of invoices, which shows the proof of blagging is "expressly there".

Well after private investigator Steve Whittamore was convicted of breaching information laws, ANL remained his "best customers", until 2007, Sherborne alleges.

For context, Whittamore was convicted in 2005 after an investigation during which all his records and payment invoices were seized.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

The court has just taken a short break.

It's been all systems go this morning. The court room is packed, with celebrities, lawyers and the press. There was a long queue as us journalists tried to get a seat in the main room.

I have just moved from the also very busy overflow room.

We've been listening to the claimants lawyer David Sherborne lay out his case against Associated Newspapers Limited.

Sherborne is continuing his case after the break. Behind him sit Sadie Frost, Prince Harry, Sir Simon Hughes and Elizabeth Hurley. Prince Harry is reading along as his lawyer speaks.

Tom Symonds
Reporting from the High Court

The opening statement document accuses the current Royal Editor of the Daily Mail Rebecca English of "obtaining the exact plane seats, flight times and travel plans of Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, in December 2007".

This, the document says, can only have been unlawfully obtained through Mike Behr, a private investigator.

Another journalist accused is Stephen Wright, a veteran Daily Mail crime correspondent.

"He appears on invoice records of Christine Hart, a well-known blagger, as well as making payments of thousands in cash for 'special contacts re Stephen Lawrence' and 'special inquiries'."

This is a reference to the claims of Baroness Doreen Lawrence that the paper targeted her during a period when it was supporting her campaign for justice for Stephen Lawrence.

These are among journalists accused in the opening pages of the claimant's case statement.

It's worth noting that this is only the start of the case - this document alone stretches to 180 pages.

The Daily Mail's publishers have denied all wrongdoing and will be given opportunity to respond to the claims as the case progresses.

Tom Symonds
Reporting from the High Court

The claimants' opening statement accuses a string of senior Mail and Mail on Sunday journalists of commissioning unlawfully gathered information from private investigators.

In a court document, they say "journalists and executives across the Mail titles engaged in or were complicit in the culture of unlawful information gathering that wrecked the lives of so many."

The document claims that Katie Nicholl, now a well-known journalist commenting and reporting on the royal family, had commissioned an "infamous" private investigation firm variously known variously as ELI, TDI and BDI, to get "intimate information" about actor Sadie Frost Law’s private life.

This, the document says, included the termination of her pregnancy, something she hadn't even told her mother about.

The journalist was operating a "hotbed of unlawful information gathering" the claimants allege.

A Managing Editor John Wellington "signed off hundreds of invoices for work that bear the hallmarks of unlawful information gathering", including for the "indisputable voicemail interception of Sadie Frost Law and Sir Simon Hughes", a former Liberal Democrat Minister, the opening statement says.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

We're hearing a lot of references today about the private investigation agency that lawyer David Sherborne is referring to as ELI.

It has had multiple names over the years, hence all of the acronyms. It was run by Susie Mallis and Lloyd Hart.

It was known as Express Locate International, Trace Direct International and BDI.

It is Sherborne's case that the agency committed unlawful information gathering, and was used by several Daily Mail journalists.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne now moves onto Stephen Wright, from the Daily Mail, a key figure in the case brought by Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

He brings up an article about Ronnie Barker's death, and his family. In the article, it reveals private information about how much money was in the bank account of his son Adam Barker at the time.

"This detailed financial information, we say, was obtained by Mr Wright using ELI," Sherborne continues.

This isn't the only example of Wright using the agency to obtain unlawful information, he alleges.

Sherborne says Wright is also directly linked to multiple invoices to ELI, surrounding stories about Richard Cazaly and his family. Cazaly was the prime suspect in the stabbing of Abigail Witchalls in 2005. He later committed suicide.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne moves onto journalist for Daily Mail, Sam Greenhill.

He points to an email sent by Greenhill to his superior Gordon Rayner in October 2005.

The subject line is Sally Anderson, and Greenhill sets out a timeline of pursuing a story. Greenhill, in the email, refers to information about Anderson gained "by means of a blag call".

Greenhill also obtained flight information, which Sherborne claims he could not have done legally. "Either way, ELI were used to obtain the bank account details" of Anderson, Sherborne alleges.

This was a specialism of ELI [a private investigation agency], he says.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

We move on now to the private investigation agency known as ELI.

Sherborne says ELI, run by Susie Mallis and Lloyd Hart, was used frequently by ANL. From April 2007, it appears on a list of companies that Associated are forbidden to use.

Surviving ANL records show repeated payments to ELI with titles such as "URGENT" and "TRACE", Sherborne continues.

He says in Mail on Sunday journalist Katie Nicholl's own notes, she wrote down intimate information about actress Sadie Frost, including the termination of her pregnancy.

The notebooks show "Susie", of ELI, provided information on the point and days later payments are recorded titled "KATIE NICHOLLS URGENT ENQ" and "K NICHOLLS SEARCHES", he adds.

Tom Symonds
Reporting from the High Court

A barrister for Prince Harry and six other well known people has accused the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday of falsely denying its journalists used unlawful techniques to source stories.

In opening submissions at the High Court, David Sherborne said that Associated Newspapers Limited had kept up a "hear no evil see no evil speak no evil defence", claiming at the Leveson public inquiry in 2012 that there had been no unlawful activity at all.

He said his clients would prove that there was "clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering at both the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday" during a 20 year period.

He said any success on the part of Prince Harry and the other six claimants in this case would be a "catastrophe" for the publisher because of its blanket denials

He said ANL "knew they had skeletons in their closet" because the company investigated the use phone hacking between 2003 and 2005, finding evidence in stories the technique had been used.

This followed a complaint by Baroness Luciana Berger to the police following stories relating to a relationship between her and Euan Blair, Tony Blair's son.

The court heard ANL has revealed in disclosure to this trial that a journalist, Lee Harpin, described by Sherborne as the "dauphin of phone hacking", had sourced 22 stories for Katie Nicholl, then a royal correspondent at the Daily Mail.

The case will continue until March - stick with us as we bring you more updates from the first day in court.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Barrister David Sherborne, for the claimants, tells the court there is "no way" some of the details reported in articles published by ANL could have been lawfully obtained.

He says some of the information shared about his clients include private phone numbers, flight tracking details and travel plans.

There has been "mass destruction" of any pre-2004 emails, he alleges.

"In short, there are masses upon masses" of missing documents, he continues.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne says that there is "obvious" unlawful activity by Associated Newspapers Limited, who "knew they had skeletons in their closet".

He alleges there is evidence of "systematic use" of private investigators to unlawfully gather information and target these high-profile figures.

Citing some alleged examples of the activities, he says there are 14 specific individuals who they are allowed to refer to. They are described as private investigators.

ANL has sought to describe them as search agents, he says.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne, the barrister representing the claimants, begins his opening.

He says a number of senior executives at Associated Newspapers Limited gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry - which looked into the culture, practices and ethics of the press after a major phone hacking scandal.

In this inquiry, Sherborne says the executives denied any wrongdoing by the Daily Mail.

He tells the court his claimants' case is that the denials are false. Through the trial, Sherborne says he will demonstrate "there was clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering at both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday" during the period they are alleging.

As a reminder, ANL has denied wrongdoing.

Tom Symonds
Reporting from the High Court

Image source, Reuters

I’m in my seat in court 76 at the Royal Courts of Justice. It’s a pretty standard modern courtroom, all pale wood and shelves of legal books.

Elizabeth Hurley is here, and Prince Harry has just arrived wearing a dark suit and black tie. He’s sitting six feet in front of me.

David Sherborne, a veteran of these types of cases will open for Prince Harry and the other six, and he’s likely to take all day.

Antony White, a King's Counsel since 2001, and an expert in media and information law, is the lead barrister for Associated Newspapers.

It is a civil trial, so there is no jury, and the judge, Mr Justice Nicklin will decide the case on his own.

He will consider the enormous number of documents already presented, including witness statements, hear live evidence from the witness box, and listen to the submissions of the barristers.

Some of the pre-trial hearings have seen voices raised, as the judge has showed his frustration with the tactics of the barristers. He wants to limit the case as far as possible and not allow it to become a second public inquiry into the practices of the press.

The last one was chaired by Sir Brian Leveson, by coincidence in a similar court room in 2012, the floor below the one we’re in today.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Judge Mr Justice Nicklin has walked into court, and proceedings are now beginning.

As a reminder, Prince Harry, and a list of other claimants, allege that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has undertaken "grave breaches of privacy" and unlawful behaviour.

ANL, the publishers of the Daily Mail, have rejected the allegations as "preposterous".

Today, we expect to hear the opening arguments from the lawyer for the claimants, David Sherborne, and my colleague Helena Wilkinson and I will bring you the latest from court.

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from the High Court

Never say never, but we’ve had no sign of that and as things stand the case is expected to get under way at 10.30 GMT.

Remember though last minute settlements can happen.

We saw it in the case Prince Harry brought against the owner of the Sun newspaper. In a moment of high drama just before the trial was due to get under way a settlement between the two sides was announced.

In that case News Group Newspapers (NGN) offered a "full and unequivocal apology" to Prince Harry for "serious intrusion" into his private life from 1996 to 2011, and agreed to pay him "substantial damages”.

Harry's war with the press is back in court. But this time it's differentpublished at 10:14 GMT

10:14 GMT

Sean Coughlan and Tom Symonds
Royal correspondent and news correspondent

Image source, Reuters

It might feel as though we're back in familiar territory - the Duke of Sussex about to make claims in a London court alleging that newspapers used unlawful methods to gather information.

But when the case against the Daily Mail's publisher begins shortly, Prince Harry will be energetically fighting his corner against the press, yet he no longer seems to be fighting the rest of the world too.

This is Prince Harry's third major court battle accusing newspaper groups of unlawful behaviour.

The publishers of the Daily Mail have rejected the allegations as "preposterous" and are ready for a strong defence of their journalism.

But the backdrop for Prince Harry feels different from when he gave evidence against the Mirror group in 2023.

His successful court battle against the Mirror was huge news in itself, as the biggest royal appearance in a witness box of modern times.

He didn't have problems with the questions, but he cut an isolated figure, with no company in the courtroom except his legal team and security.

But, ahead of his latest court case, the mood music feels different: he's now building bridges rather than blowing them up.

Image source, Getty Images

Prince Harry has just arrived at the High Court in London ahead of his case against the publisher of the Daily Mail beginning this morning.

He's not expected to speak in court today, but is due to give evidence later this week.

Stay with us as our reporters in court bring you the latest updates and analysis.

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from the High Court

One of the seven claimants, Elizabeth Hurley, has just walked through the front doors of the court building. The actress Sadie Frost, another claimant, has arrived at court, as has the claimants' lawyer David Sherborne.

Image source, Reuters

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from the High Court

We'll probably hear a lot during the trial about different methods of Unlawful Information Gathering (UIG) alleged by the claimants which they say were commissioned or carried out by ANL.

But what do they mean?

One UIG method we'll hear about is phone hacking. That's an illegal technique used to access voicemail messages on mobiles.

Another is phone tapping. That's when someone listens into and/or records someone's phone call as it's happening.

Then there's what's called blagging. Blagging is obtaining private information, like financial or medical records, through deception.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

It might be a court case for Prince Harry, but for me it's a case of familiarity.

At the beginning of last year, I was again waiting inside a busy court in London on an early morning, waiting for proceedings to begin in a case brought by Prince Harry.

That was for his past case against News Group Newspapers. However, after spending weeks preparing, there was an unexpected settlement in the case.

So all too similarly, I am here again waiting for the proceedings to begin, and unless a settlement is reached, the case will last about nine weeks.