The Daily Mirror’s publisher has apologised to Prince Harry amid his phone hacking trial.
The news comes on the first day of the Duke of Sussex’s legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
In court documents released at the beginning of the trial, MGN admitted that there was “some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of UIG [unlawful information gathering] in respect of each of the claimants”, of which Harry is one.
MGN denies involvement in the case of one claimant: Michael Turner.
The publisher said it “warrants compensation,” adding: “MGN unreservedly apologises for all such instances of UIG, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated.”
The statements are from part of MGN’s defence to claims brought to court by Harry among others over the alleged unlawful gathering of information at a number of MGN titles.
In written arguments, Andrew Green KC – who is representing MGN, said it denied allegations of voicemail interception in the claims being examined during the trial.
Mr Green said: “There is some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of UIG in respect of each of the claimants” except for the case of actor Michael Turner whose claim is “entirely denied”.
“This apology is not made with the tactical objective of reducing damages, MGN accepts that an apology at this stage will not have that effect, but is made because such conduct should never have occurred.”
Other well-known faces involved in this legal action include Cheryl, Ricky Tomlinson and Ian Wright.
This is the first of Harry’s three major cases against tabloid newspapers for alleged unlawful information gathering to go to trial.
The others concern the Daily Mail Group and News Group Newspapers.
