Britain’s Prince Harry can go to court against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the British tabloid magazine The Sun, for illegal information gathering. A British court has ruled this. However, the allegations of phone hacking were not subdued.
According to the 38-year-old prince, he was targeted by journalists and private investigators employed by News Group Newspapers (NGN). He filed a lawsuit for damages. At a hearing in April, NGN argued that the case is pointless because it is time-barred. The publisher also strongly denies the allegations.
A judge ruled on Thursday that there are grounds for a lawsuit against NGN. Harry can take the publisher to court because of the alleged appeal to private investigators to obtain information about him.
However, the prince also claims that NGN hacked his phone, but he cannot bring that element forward in court. The same applies to a “secret agreement” between the royal family and the top of the company that Harry claims exists.
A spokesman for NGN speaks to the British public broadcaster BBC of a “significant victory for the company”.
Prince Harry has taken several legal battles in recent months against tabloids that allegedly violated his privacy and that of his family. The lawsuit against NGN could start in January of next year.
