By Michael Holden and Sam Tobin
LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Prince Harry appeared in the witness box at London's High Court to start giving evidence in his privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail's publisher,
the royal's second such appearance in three years.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, and six other claimants including singer Elton John are suing the Mail's publisher Associated Newspapers for violations of their privacy from the early 1990s until the 2010s.
Associated has called the allegations "preposterous smears", saying their journalists had legitimate sources for information, including from the celebrities' friends and acquaintances.
Having become in 2023 the first royal in 130 years to give evidence in court during another of his lawsuits against the press, the younger son of King Charles appeared as the claimants' initial witness in the case against Associated.
Asked how he wished to be addressed during the hearing, Harry said "same as last time", a reference to his previous appearance at the High Court in 2023. However, his evidence was then delayed as the court dealt with a technical issue.
The prince's case centres on 14 articles his legal team say were the product of unlawful information gathering, including by hacking voicemail messages, bugging landlines and obtaining private information by deception, known as "blagging".
Associated, however, says Harry's social circle was known to be "leaky" and that some articles were based on public statements issued by royal press officers.
Harry was originally due to give evidence on Thursday but this was brought forward after Associated concluded their opening argument much faster than expected.
"They have had to resort to game playing and dirty tricks," a source close to the prince's team said.
"They think that by pulling the schedule forward 24 hours they are giving Prince Harry less time to prepare - he’s been preparing for this moment for the last three years. Safe to say, he’s ready."
(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden; editing by Mark Heinrich)
