Associated Newspapers denies allegations of unlawful information gathering spanning two decades

Prince Harry fought back tears in court as he spoke about his wife, Meghan Markle.

On Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex spent 2½ hours on the witness stand for his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The 41-year-old appeared visibly emotional, telling London’s High Court the Daily Mail made Meghan’s life “an absolute misery.” When he left, Harry looked shaken and was still sniffling.

The Duke of Sussex leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in central London Jan. 21, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)

According to a BBC reporter who was in court, Harry “choked on the words.” He was described as “clearly very emotional” as he condemned how his private life had been “commercialized” by the media. Harry said the idea that he isn’t entitled to a private life is “disgusting,” adding that the legal fight has been another “horrible experience” for him and his family.

“Prince Harry closed out his day in court visibly upset,” royal commentator Meredith Constant told Fox News Digital.

A courtroom sketch of Prince Harry Jan. 21, 2026. (Reuters/Julia Quenzler)

“Associated Newspapers was the outlet that published Meghan’s letter to her father, Thomas Markle, in 2019,” Constant added. “It was somewhat rich for the defense to suggest that Prince Harry should have gone to the palace’s preferred law firm, given how Meghan and Harry claimed they were ignored when they asked for legal action against the Mail on Sunday that year.”

Harry and six other claimants, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, are suing over alleged privacy violations from the early 1990s through the 2010s. They claim the U.K. tabloids engaged in the “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” for two decades, according to attorney David Sherborne.

Associated Newspapers denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous.” The publisher said the roughly 50 articles in question were based on legitimate sources, including acquaintances willing to talk about their famous friends.

Elizabeth Hurley and son Damian Hurley arrive in court during a court case against Associated Newspapers Ltd at the Royal Courts of Justice Jan. 20, 2026, in London. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Harry said all he and the other claimants want is an apology, adding that it’s “awful” to have to give evidence and relive painful experiences, the BBC reported. He said the hardest part of testifying was knowing that Associated Newspapers “made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their royal exit in 2020. They are raising their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in Montecito. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing intense media scrutiny and a lack of support from the palace. They relocated to California.

“No one disputes that Prince Harry and his family endured extraordinary media intrusion,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital.

Meghan Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry in 2018. (Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images)

“His mother, Princess Diana, suffered some of the most aggressive and unethical press treatment in modern history,” Schofield said. “That included the deception used by journalist Martin Bashir to secure her BBC interview, for which there were virtually no consequences. I sympathize with Harry’s belief that his privacy was violated and that illegal methods may have been used. That should never be acceptable.

A group of claimants, including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (pictured here Jan. 21, 2026), Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, are suing the publishers of the Daily Mail for alleged unlawful information gathering from 1993-2011.  (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“Whether he ultimately wins this case or not, I hope it brings him closure and allows him to focus on the future and the family he’s built in California.

“He’s sacrificing precious time with his children to pursue this, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. Hopefully, this marks the final chapter for Harry — constantly fighting the world is both emotionally and financially draining.”

Princess Diana in London circa 1993. She died in 1997 at age 36 from injuries sustained in a Paris car crash after being pursued by paparazzi.  (Jayne Fincher/Getty Images)

Harry said private information attributed to “sources” and “friends” fueled his suspicion that people close to him were leaking details to journalists.

Chelsy Davy and Prince Harry dated on and off between 2004 and 2011. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

He cited a 2005 article about his girlfriend at the time, Chelsy Davy, that included “an extraordinary level of detail,” making him feel he was “part of an endless pursuit — a campaign, an obsession with having every aspect of my life under surveillance.”

A courtroom sketch of Prince Harry from Jan. 21, 2026. The royal made history in 2023 when he became the first senior royal in more than a century to testify in court. (Reuters/Julia Quenzler )

Harry admitted the coverage made him “paranoid beyond belief” and claimed the outlet wanted to “drive me to drugs and drinking to sell more papers.”

He said the death of his mother marked the beginning of his “uneasy relationship” with the media. But as a “member of the Institution,” referring to the royal family, he was forced to follow the policy of “never complain, never explain.”

“There was no alternative; I was conditioned to accept it,” he said.

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Prince Harry has been estranged from his family since he stepped back as a senior royal in 2020. (David Rose/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Harry said “vicious, persistent attacks” on his wife pushed him to break with royal tradition and take the press to court.

Prince Harry holds back tears as he tells court Daily Mail made Meghan’s life a misery

Prince Harry held back tears in the witness box as he told London’s High Court on Wednesday that the Daily Mail had made his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery” as he gave evidence against the paper’s publisher in a privacy lawsuit.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, and six other claimants including singer Elton John are suing the Mail’s publisher Associated Newspapers for alleged privacy violations dating from the early 1990s to the 2010s.