Prince Harry failed to arrive in court Monday after launching a case alleging the Mirror Group used illegally acquired information to publish stories about him and his wife, Meghan Markle.
Harry did not attend London’s High Court in person Monday, despite being the first witness in the matter, according to Daily Beast. His lawyer David Sherborne began the proceedings with the declaration of Harry’s absence. “The Duke of Sussex is attending tomorrow to give evidence. He flew yesterday evening from Los Angeles. He was attending his daughter’s birthday yesterday,” Sherborne said. The judge was reportedly visibly unimpressed by his absence, according to Daily Beast.
GB News’ Cameron Walker gives an update on Prince Harry’s court case after the Duke of Sussex has been accused of wasting court’s time after skipping the first day of proceedings. pic.twitter.com/j7HvUF1MvQ
— GB News (@GBNEWS) June 5, 2023
“I’m a little surprised that the first witness is not going to be available today?” the judge said in the courtroom, according to Daily Beast.
Sherborne indicated Harry was in “a different category” from his co-claimants due to travel and security challenges. He claimed Harry’s physical presence was not required.
“It was never anticipated that the openings would not take the whole day,” Sherborn reportedly said, according to Daily Beast.
The judge reportedly responded by stating that she had estimated the entire day would be required, and she had directed that Harry should be available as he was the first witness, according to Daily Beast.
Judge rebukes Prince Harry’s barrister after the duke was ‘unavailable’ on the first day of his phone hacking trial against Mirror’s publisher because he was celebrating daughter Lilibet’s birthdayhttps://t.co/KpClPJlKOg
— Jerseydeanne (@jerseydeanne) June 5, 2023
Harry is one of more than 100 other people suing the Mirror Group. They allege their phones were hacked, and the information obtained was used for media stories. Other high-profile names include former soccer player and TV presenter Ian Wright, Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, and the estate of the late singer George Michael, according to The Guardian. (RELATED: REPORT: Meghan Markle And Prince Harry React To ‘Car Chase’ Drama)
A lawyer for the Mirror Group Newspapers denied the allegations and shot back at Harry and his team for “wasting time” with his absence from trial, according to Daily Beast.