Four UK editors named in Prince Harry’s phone-hacking lawsuit against Daily Mail

LONDON: Four current British newspaper editors and a string of other senior press figures have been named in a privacy lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and other public figures against the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

Harry, the younger son of King Charles, is one of seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers over allegations of voicemail interception – commonly known as phone-hacking – and other serious privacy breaches dating back 30 years.

He and the other claimants, including singer Elton John and actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, have named around 70 current and former Associated Newspapers employees whom they accuse of past involvement in unlawful information gathering.

Victoria Newton and Tony Gallagher, now editors of the Rupert Murdoch titles the Sun and the Times respectively, are named, as are the editor of the Sunday Times, Ben Taylor, and the Mail on Sunday, David Dillon.

Restrictions on identifying them were lifted when Associated Newspapers filed its written defence at London’s High Court, which was made public on Wednesday.

The publisher denies carrying out unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking, tapping, bugging and burglary, or commissioning any illegal acts.