The Duke of Sussex has a significant event on his calendar this week: he will learn the result of a High Court decision regarding his illegal information gathering lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), a newspaper publisher.
On Friday, Mr. Justice Fancourt, the judge who presided over the claims trial earlier this year, is anticipated to render a decision.
Prince Harry, 39, filed a lawsuit against MGN seeking damages, alleging that journalists at publications like the Daily and Sunday Mirror and Sunday People were connected to illegal activities such as using private investigators for illegal purposes, obtaining information through deception, and phone hacking.
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Notable individuals who presented comparable allegations during this year’s court session were actress Nikki Sanderson, Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s former spouse, Fiona Wightman.
The court heard that the allegations date back to at least 2011 but possibly as early as 1991.
The well-known trial ended in June after a seven-week duration. Harry took a plane from the US to spend two days and eight hours in the witness box.
Dozens of witnesses, including former journalists, editors, private investigators, and MGN executives, also provided testimony. Written testimonies were submitted by other witnesses, including the relatives, friends, and coworkers of those bringing cases against the publisher.
MGN mainly refuted the allegations, though they did acknowledge a few instances of illegal behavior concerning Prince Harry’s case. The publisher expressed regret to the Duke and acknowledged that they would be entitled to compensation.
With his wife Meghan Markle and their two young children, Prince Archie, age four, and Princess Lilibet, age two, Harry is anticipated to spend the holiday season in California. Fans are definitely excited to see what picture the Sussexes have selected to feature this year, as they usually release an annual Christmas card.
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As this is going on, King Charles and Queen Camilla are getting ready to throw the customary Christmas parties for the royal family. In the week before the 25th, the monarch typically extends an invitation to a luncheon at Buckingham Palace to members of the royal family who are not immediate family. The King and Queen will have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with family members that they won’t be seeing on Christmas Day, like Zara and Mike Tindall and their kids.
Then, on Christmas Eve, a more exclusive group of royals, including the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, gather for a customary dinner at Sandringham House, during which they exchange modest and frequently “jokey” gifts.
Members of The Firm typically travel to Norfolk in the days preceding Christmas, arriving for the church service on December 25. They then proceed to the public walk to St. Mary Magdalene and the brief walkabout that follows.
For the first time in royal history, King Charles is anticipated to invite his wife Camilla’s family, including her children and grandchildren, to the Christmas Day luncheon this year.
Christmas lunch will reportedly now be served in Sandringham House’s larger ballroom rather than the dining room in order to accommodate the additional guests, according to Chris Ship, ITV’s royal editor.
From her previous marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, Camilla is the mother of Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
Laura and her husband Harry are parents to Eliza and their twin sons, Gus and Louis, while Tom and his ex-wife Sara Buys share a daughter Lola and a son Freddy.
