Prince Harry faces nine-week, £38m trial against Daily Mail | The latest National and International News

Prince Harry is returning to the UK this month for a High Court trial against Associated Newspapers Limited but will not meet his father, King Charles. The King is expected to be at his Scottish residence when the trial begins on January 19 and reportedly wants to maintain distance from the legal proceedings.

The trial marks the latest chapter in a lawsuit Harry filed in October 2022 against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The case is expected to run for nine weeks and involves allegations of what the claimants call «grave breaches of privacy». Six other high-profile figures are joining Harry in the legal action, including Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley.

Royal sources said the King has no desire to be connected with any legal proceedings and would give his son a “wide berth” on this occasion. The timing aligns with Charles’ traditional post-Christmas stay in Scotland, when he typically steps back from official engagements during much of January.

The anticipated non-meeting contrasts with Harry’s last UK visit in September, when father and son reunited for the first time in 19 months. Sources close to the prince said of that meeting: «He genuinely loved it (seeing Charles at Clarence House). He wants to do more of that. He always loves seeing his father and would love to see him as much as possible.» Harry later described the encounter as «great».

In a BBC interview in May, Harry had expressed concerns about «how much longer my father has» and said he hoped for «reconciliation». He claimed then that the King would not speak to him due to his legal fight with the Home Office over security arrangements.