Prince Harry’s court battle with a British newspaper over alleged phone hacking is expected to dial up a notch when he takes to the witness box to face what is expected to be an unprecedented grilling of a senior member of the royal family.
The Duke of Sussex is expected to jet into the UK from his home in California to testify – a move that will have aides in Buckingham Palace on high alert and members of the monarchy braced for possible further criticism.
Earlier this year, he described “the mission of changing the media landscape in the UK” as “my life’s work”.
The National spoke to legal and royal experts who said that Prince Harry was “playing with fire”.
The second son of King Charles III is among more than 100 people suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering and invasions of privacy.
The case is one of several legal battles the duke has on the table in the UK against the country’s largest tabloids.
Since stepping down from royal duties in early 2020 in protest over his family’s treatment of him and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry has been relentless in speaking out against what he perceives as injustices.
The duke will testify at London’s High Court on a date in early or mid-June, the Associated Press reported, citing lawyers and a preliminary schedule of witnesses.
'Prince Harry is playing with fire'
Andrew Lownie, a royal biographer, likened the prince’s determination to alter the fabric of the country’s press to playing an unwise game in which he could get hurt.
Harry has admitted that his father, King Charles III, warned him such a pursuit would amount to a “suicide mission”.
But the father of two appears to be undeterred in his calling.
“He is playing with fire here,” Lownie told The National. “Harry is like a bull in a china shop.
“He blames the media for the death of his mother.
“The monarchy works when everything is not in the news, or at least when they can shape the news agenda. This is a distraction from that.”
Lownie said as the duke's witness testimony nears, there will no doubt be nervousness among aides in Buckingham Palace over the prospect of further accusations being made about members of the royal family.
British royals in court - in pictures
King Charles’s coronation in May proved a major success for the institution in terms of publicity and popularity among the public. Since ascending the throne upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II last September, the 74-year-old has worked to make the role his own and thrown himself into the causes closest to his heart.
But his first year has not been without upsets, most notably due to the release of Prince Harry’s tell-all book, Spare, in which he branded Queen Camilla “dangerous” and accused Prince William of physically attacking him.
“It must be hugely embarrassing for the royal family just the fact that he is appearing in court,” Lownie said. “Who knows what he will say. He could throw further incendiary bombs into the royal family.
“We kind of think, can it go to a lower depth? I think it can.
“He is in attack mode. It’s extraordinary. He may have all sorts of revelations about members of the family. They just don’t have the power to stop him.”
If Prince Harry chooses to use the witness box as a platform to drop unpleasant revelations about the royals, it will leave them in a “very, very tricky” position,” he added.
The prince last week lost a legal application to enter three new witness statements into evidence in the trial against MGN.
Despite suffering setbacks, he appears to be undeterred in his quest to hold to account media outlets he feels wronged by.
King's son set for 'tough grilling'
Gregory Monk, a solicitor specialising in reputation and privacy at Vardags law firm in London, traced the prince’s bull-headed approach back to his days serving in the British Army.
“[Prince] Harry has made it his life’s mission to change the press,” Mr Monk told The National. “He found meaning in the army and he has decided to tackle this head on.”
Mr Monk said given that Prince Harry appears to have opted for an in-person appearance before the court, when he could easily have given evidence via video link from the US, emphasises his sense of purpose in the legal fight.
The prince should be prepared for a tough grilling by his opponent’s lawyers, he said.
“Harry has shown himself to be willing to be grilled, and to do so in public,” Mr Monk said. “He didn’t have to. There are enough people involved as claimants in this case that the legal principles could have been decided without his involvement.
“You never know how someone is going to react under questioning,” he added.
“These barristers are skilled and will be well prepared. You can expect them to treat Harry with respect, but they won’t do him any favours. They are there to win for their client.
“He will be treated like any other witness and the judge will decide what weight to give to his evidence.
“It’s tough being in the witness box. It’s not a pleasant experience and cases can be won or lost by how witnesses perform under cross-examination.”
While Harry’s decisive moment in court will be significant, it will not be the first time a senior member of the royal family finds themself before a court.
Princess Anne appeared in court in 2002 when she pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The case related to an incident in which her English bull terrier, called Dotty, bit two children in Windsor Great Park, and led to her being the first royal to be convicted of a criminal offence.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal author and commentator, said Prince Harry’s time in court will still be an “enormously significant” moment for the British monarchy.
“The Sussexes have a habit of surprising and you never quite know what they are going to do,” Fitzwilliams told The National. “It is unclear what evidence may come out. Something sensational could emerge.”
Prince Harry and Meghan's rift with the royal family has been well documented since they departed the institution, known as The Firm, three years ago.
The prince attended his father's coronation last month, but Meghan and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, did not join him.
The Sussexes made headlines a short while later when a spokesperson alleged that the couple and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, “were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi”. Their representative claimed the incident happened after the three had attended an awards ceremony in New York where the duchess was honoured.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
