Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arriving at The Royal Courts of Justice in London on January 19, 2026. He was in attendance for the second day of his long publicized court battle with Associated Newspapers Ltd. This trial is expected to last nine weeks. The suit chiefly targets claims that the media company illegally collected data.
On his way into the courthouse, Prince Harry was joined by his team of lawyers, including barrister David Sherborne. Sherborne has asserted that there was a “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering at both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.” The case has garnered extraordinary attention from the media, both because of the wide-ranging implications for press freedoms and privacy rights.
Prince Harry will be giving evidence in court on Thursday. All of these observers are impatient for this day to arrive, as it would likely shed much more light on the precise allegations he is bringing. And through the past couple decades, the Duke has strongly criticized the media, especially for their danger-fueling practices. This sort of action is incredibly troubling, he said, through words like ‘sources’, ‘friends’, and the like to mask illegal data sourcing.”
The trial’s proceedings were marked with an opening statement detailing the substantive claims being made against Associated Newspapers Ltd. These feature extremely invasive and aggressive methods which have allegedly not only targeted Prince Harry, but other royals and celebrities as well.
Though Prince Harry’s court appearance stole all media attention, it wasn’t the only royal event that made headlines last week. Coincidentally, on that same day, the Duchess of Edinburgh was celebrating her 61st birthday. This is a big milestone for the royal family as well.
Queen Camilla during a royal engagement at the National Library of Scotland. She kicked off the nation’s first national year of reading since 2008. On the day of her visit, she was accompanied by local schoolchildren and delegates from Beano publishers. In a rather unusual turn, Queen Camilla appears in a Beano comic, introducing a fun new element to royal engagements.
The extended royal family continued to make headlines when Princess Alexia of Greece and her mother, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, arrived in Athens to attend the funeral of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark. Their vocal presence focused lots of public attention. “This set the stage for a historic visit by other European royalty including King Felipe VI of Spain and his family. Joined by their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, the royal couple arrived at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens for the service.
As the memorial services started, Princess Irene’s coffin was escorted into the cathedral. This was a quite emotional and powerful moment for all present. Queen Anne-Marie is of particular interest, being the widow of the late King Constantine of Greece, Princess Irene’s brother.
On Thursday, following his own similar day filled with tribulations for Prince Harry and the royal family at large, he exited the courtyard. He had just finished his public appearances for the day. Regardless of which side wins, the result of this trial will almost certainly create precedents that will shape the future interactions of royalty and the media.
