Overview

• Associated Newspapers told the High Court the case should be confined to specific, clearly pleaded instances of alleged wrongdoing by named journalists or private investigators.
• The claimants countered that their generic case is essential and called ANL’s push to strike out parts of the lawsuit a disproportionate “nuclear option.”
• David Sherborne said invoices disclosed on September 24 include an entry titled “Out of Africa Story Royal Party Enqs,” which he linked to a 2003 Daily Mail article about Prince William’s 21st birthday, arguing the details were likely obtained by blagging.
• Sherborne also cited a private investigator’s record of a requested “mobile phone conversion” related to the Princess of Wales and a “family and friends” phone list, with ANL arguing such late amendments are unparticularised or irrelevant.
• Mr Justice Nicklin is holding a two‑day preliminary hearing with a decision to follow, after earlier rulings that forced disclosure on potential witness payments and cut back what judges called manifestly excessive legal budgets, with a nine‑week trial provisionally set for January 2026.