Prince Harry is to return to the High Court in London in June to give evidence in his claim against the publisher of the Mirror over phone-hacking allegations.
The Duke of Sussex is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.
The trial of four “representative” cases is due to begin on 9 May and to last for six to seven weeks.
At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Julian Santos, for Harry and other figures bringing claims, said all the witnesses on their side would be giving evidence in person.
Related
“The claimants are not applying for any of their witnesses to give evidence via video link,” Santos told the High Court in London.
This means the duke, who is expected to give evidence, will make a second visit to the High Court this year.
The trial in May will come after Harry made a surprise appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice in March to attend three of four days of a preliminary hearing in his separate privacy claim against Associated Newspapers – the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The judge in that case, in which other claimants include Sir Elton John, David Furnish and Doreen Lawrence, has not yet given his decision on whether the Mail should succeed in dismissing the claim before trial, after the publisher argued they had been brought too late and used confidential material submitted to the Leveson Inquiry.
On Wednesday, the court also heard that lawyers for the four individuals and MGN have created draft timetables of the trial’s structure, which list the duke as entering the witness box in early or mid June.
Both timetables, which may be reviewed, suggest that evidence in Harry’s claim is expected to take three days, including opening statements, his time in the witness box and MGN’s witnesses.
Last month, the four “representative” claimants were selected as “test cases” to go to trial out of a wider pool of people bringing claims.
The other people selected for trial are former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman and actor Michael Turner.
MGN is contesting the claims, arguing that some have been brought too late.
Other celebrities involved include singer and former Girls Aloud member Cheryl, the estate of the late singer George Michael, ex-footballer and television presenter Ian Wright and actor Ricky Tomlinson.
MGN – publisher of titles including the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – has previously settled a number of claims against it in relation to unlawful information gathering, as has News Group Newspapers, publisher of the now-defunct News Of The World and The Sun (although it has never admitted any liability in relation to allegations against The Sun).
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
