Harry returns to High Court for second day of hearing in privacy claim

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The Duke of Sussex has returned to the Royal Courts of Justice for the second day of a High Court hearing over multiple privacy claims brought against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Harry arrived at the central London court just after 10am for the second day of a preliminary hearing in his claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

The duke is part of a group – along with Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley – bringing claims over allegations ANL carried out or commissioned illegal or unlawful information-gathering.

The allegations – which are denied – include the hiring of private investigators to place listening devices inside cars and the accessing and recording of private phone conversations.

Lawyers for ANL, which is also the publisher of The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, said the allegations are “firmly” denied and that the “stale” claims have been brought too late as it made a bid to throw out the cases.

The duke, Sir Elton, Mr Furnish, Baroness Lawrence and Ms Frost all attended at least part of the start of a four-day hearing on Monday.

ANL is making a bid to have the claims dismissed without a trial.

Adrian Beltrami KC, for the publisher, argued in written submissions the legal actions have been brought too late and that the cases were “largely inferential”.

The barrister has also said that unless lawyers for the people bringing the claim make an application, some aspects of the cases should be thrown out as they breach orders made by Lord Justice Leveson as part of the inquiry bearing his name into press standards.

The hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is due to finish on Thursday with a decision expected at a later date.