Prince Harry’s legal team has accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of unlawfully gathering information about Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The allegations stem from a report about William’s 21st birthday party, which lawyers claim may have been based on information obtained illegally by a private investigator. According to what was revealed during a preliminary High Court hearing, Kate’s phone was also allegedly targeted.

Prince Harry is among eight public figures — including singer Elton John and actress Liz Hurley — who are suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail, over alleged invasions of privacy.

The claimants accuse the newspaper group of engaging in illegal practices such as phone tapping, hiring private detectives, and obtaining confidential medical records to produce stories published mainly between 1993 and 2011, and again in 2018.

A procedural hearing took place at London’s High Court ahead of a full trial scheduled for January.

In written submissions, lawyer David Sherborne — representing the claimants — referred to a Mail article published in June 2003, the day before William’s 21st birthday celebration, titled “Beyond the Fringe”. He argued that many of the details in that piece appeared to have been gathered through unlawful means.

Sherborne cited evidence including a private investigator’s invoice dated 25 August 2003 referencing the birthday party, and another invoice mentioning phone data belonging to “Catherine Middleton.”

Associated Newspapers denies all allegations, with its lawyer arguing that Sherborne’s evidence was submitted “significantly late.”

Some of the claimants, such as Elton John’s husband David Furnish and actress Sadie Frost, were present in court, while others — including Prince Harry — attended via video link.