Elton John & David Furnish: Mail Targeting Case in Court

The legal battle between Prince Harry and Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, is underway in London’s High Court, with a constellation of high-profile figures joining the Duke of Sussex in alleging serious breaches of privacy. The case, which commenced on January 19, 2026, also includes claims brought by Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley, and campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, among others.

At the heart of the lawsuit are accusations of “grave breaches of privacy” and illegal activities spanning decades. Claimants allege ANL engaged in practices such as the interception of voicemails, the tapping of landlines, payments to police officers with ties to private investigators, the fabrication of medical records, and the bugging of homes. The alleged unlawful information gathering (UIG) reportedly occurred over a period from 1993 to 2011, with some claims extending to 2018.

The opening arguments, presented by barrister David Sherborne, asserted that ANL “knew they had skeletons in their closet” and initiated a “mass destruction” of thousands of documents related to the case. Sherborne further claimed that denials of unlawful acts made by ANL during the Leveson Inquiry in 2011 were “not true.”

Sir Elton John and David Furnish have testified that they felt the safety of their children had been “violated” by the alleged unlawful news gathering. They described feeling “outrage” at what they characterized as the “stealing” of their son Zachary’s birth certificate and medical details following his birth. The couple alleges that ten articles published between 2002 and 2015 were based on illegally obtained information. Furnish expressed being “profoundly affected by the uncertainty of not knowing how many times we were targeted,” and lamented the lack of clarity regarding the extent of the alleged intrusions.

According to court submissions, John and Furnish believe their home and the safety of their loved ones were compromised. They also expressed distress over the alleged exploitation of their personal relationships, with John describing the alleged actions as “the exploitation of love, connection, trust and bonds to find out information shared in confidence.”

ANL has vehemently denied all allegations, dismissing them as “lurid” and “preposterous.” Lawyers for the publisher maintain that the claims are “unsupported by any evidence before the court and utterly baseless.” The publisher argues that the lawsuit is an affront to the hard work of its journalists.

Key figures associated with the Daily Mail, including long-serving editor-in-chief Paul Dacre, are expected to provide testimony during the trial, which is anticipated to last several weeks. The claimants are seeking redress for the alleged harm caused by the publisher’s actions.

The case highlights the ongoing tensions between the British tabloid press and public figures seeking to protect their privacy. The involvement of such a diverse group of claimants – including members of the royal family, entertainment industry icons, and prominent political figures – underscores the broad reach and potential impact of the allegations. The trial is expected to shed light on the practices employed by ANL and the extent to which they may have violated the privacy of individuals in pursuit of news stories.

The claimants allege that ANL spent more than £3 million on private investigators. Sir Simon Hughes, a U.K. Political figure also involved in the lawsuit, reportedly expressed distress at being targeted by the publisher. The trial continues in London as of today, February 5, 2026.