Prince Harry's Legal Team Warned by Justice Fancourt as Trial Faces Second Delay
Prince Harry's trial has experienced a second delay on its opening day at the High Court in London, as the judge expressed concerns and ruled out any further delays.
The case, involving the Duke of Sussex and former Labour MP Tom Watson against News Group Newspapers (NGN), was originally scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM but was postponed to 11:30 AM at the request of David Sherborne, the barrister representing Prince Harry and Watson.
Sherborne has now asked for the trial to be delayed further, pushing the start time to 2 PM. NGN's lawyer, Anthony Hudson KC, supported this request for additional time.
Justice Fancourt agreed to the adjournment but made it clear he was concerned about the mounting delays. The judge seemed frustrated by the situation and issued a stern warning in his first statement of the day, emphasizing that no more delays would be permitted.
“I am a little concerned about the timetable overall,” said the judge, adding, “On the other hand, an hour or two in the context of eight weeks is not significant."
He further remarked, "If the parties can assure me that time will be beneficial and will produce some outcome, then I am willing to provide some further time—but it has to be the last adjournment."
Earlier, when requesting the first delay, Sherborne told the court, “I have been asked to ask your Lordship if we can have a short adjournment for an hour.” He acknowledged the potential disruption, saying, “I appreciate that might cause some inconvenience.”
Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson are suing News Group Newspapers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, a claim which the company denies. The Duke of Sussex is not present for the first day of his trial but is expected to testify in February, where he will give his testimony against the media group.
