As Prince Harry returned to London this week for a high-stakes legal battle against the British tabloid press, Meghan Markle was offering a quieter counterpoint from California.
According to People, the Duchess of Sussex recently shared moments she described as “carefree days,” posting relaxed snapshots that stood in sharp contrast to her husband’s appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice.
While Meghan remained in the U.S. with their children, Harry stepped back into a legal fight he has framed as deeply personal—and long overdue.
The Duke arrived at London’s High Court on Monday morning, January 19, for what is expected to be a nine-week trial against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. A spokesperson for the duke told NBC News ahead of the hearing that he was feeling “confident and ready” as proceedings began.
The case brings together seven high-profile claimants, including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost. They accuse the publisher of using unlawful methods—such as phone hacking, deception, and hiring private investigators—to obtain sensitive personal information between the 1990s and early 2010s.
Associated Newspapers has forcefully rejected the allegations, calling them “preposterous and without foundation.”
In opening arguments, the claimants’ lawyer, David Sherborne, alleged there was “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” across multiple publications owned by the company.
He further claimed that the publisher publicly portrayed itself as “a clean ship” while privately knowing that wasn’t true, adding that there were “skeletons in their closet.”
The publisher disputes that characterization. In a previous statement referenced ahead of the trial, Associated Newspapers said the lawsuit was “an affront to the hard-working journalists whose reputations and integrity, as well as those of Associated itself, are wrongly traduced.”
Prince Harry entered the court through a side entrance, wearing a navy suit and maintaining a serious expression before briefly smiling and waving at reporters outside.
His appearance in the witness box will mark the second time he has personally testified in court—an uncommon move for a senior royal and one that previously broke with long-standing tradition.
The Duke has consistently linked his legal crusade against the tabloids to the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, and to what he has described as relentless media intrusion into Meghan’s life after their relationship became public.