At the High Court in London, Justice Matthew Nicklin said he would issue his decision at a later date. At stake in this hearing is whether or not to hold a trial in this case where the plaintiffs, who also include singer Elton John or actress Liz Hurley, are suing the publisher of the Daily Mail, accusing the newspaper of having used illegal wiretapping or private detectives.
The 38-year-old prince, who recently opened up about his notoriously difficult relationship with the rest of the British royal family, created a surprise on Monday by appearing in person at the High Court in London.
At war with the tabloids, Prince Harry holds the tabloid press responsible for the death of his mother Diana in 1997 in a car accident in Paris, pursued by the paparazzi, and denounces the treatment by British newspapers of his wife Meghan Markle, with whom he has filed several lawsuits against the media.
In this case, Harry and the other plaintiffs allege that the publisher of the Daily Mail commissioned 19 private detectives to carry out a series of illegal acts between 1993 and 2011 and beyond.
The publisher denounces accusations "without any credible evidence".
The British tabloid press was shaken a decade ago by several scandals of illegal eavesdropping practiced in the early 2000s.
Harry's visit to the UK comes just over a month before the king's coronation on May 6. Exiled in the United States after leaving the monarchy with a bang in 2020, Harry and his wife have been invited to the ceremony but have not yet made it known publicly if they will honor the invitation.
After a documentary aired on Netflix in December, Harry published in early January his controversial memoir entitled "The Deputy", in which he details the breakdown of his relationship with his father and brother William.
© 2023 AFP