Why Prince Harry Missed First Day of His Trial Against British Tabloids

All eyes are on London this week, as Prince Harry is set to take the stand to testify against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) about phone hacking. Yet, on the first day of the trial at the High Court, Prince Harry was absent. His lawyer, David Sherborne, said that his client had celebrated his daughter's birthday in Los Angeles and then flew to London, and would be in court tomorrow.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, Princess Lilibet, turned two yesterday, and the family likely celebrated at their home in Montecito. Last year, they were in Windsor for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee when the family celebrated her first birthday, complete with a lemon and elderflower birthday cake from Claire Ptak, who made Harry and Meghan's wedding cake in 2018.

The judge overseeing the case, Justice Fancourt, said he was a "little surprised" that the Duke of Sussex was not in court for the first day, per the BBC. In addition, lawyer Andrew Green said Prince Harry's legal team was "wasting time" and that it was "absolutely extraordinary we were told just last week that he is not available for day one of his own trial." Yet, Sherborne said of Harry, "He is in a different category from the three other claimants due to his travel and security arrangements."

Prince Harry is joined by three other claimants against MGN: Michael Turner, Nikki Sanderson, and Fiona Wightman. Per the BBC, "The claimants argue senior executives must have known about unlawful information gathering behind these stories and failed to stop it, which MGN denies."

Prince Harry has previously shared that "changing the media landscape in the UK" is his "life's work." The Duke of Sussex is expected to be in court tomorrow.

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