Prince Harry is back at court for the second day of legal proceedings in London.
After making a surprise appearance at the High Court on Monday, the Duke of Sussex returned on Tuesday for the second day of a legal case in which he and other prominent figures — including Elton John, the singer's husband David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Parliament member Doreen Lawrence and Jude Law's ex-wife Sadie Frost — are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, for illegal information gathering.
Sporting a suit and tie, Prince Harry gave a wave as he made his way inside.
The four-day hearing will consider legal arguments from both sides and conclude with a judge's ruling on whether the case should go to trial. Associated Newspapers are arguing that the case should be thrown out.
When the case was announced in October 2022, Prince Harry's lawyers claimed that he was among several individuals who had "become aware of compelling and highly distressing evidence that they have been the victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy by Associated Newspapers."
The claimants alleged in their lawsuit that unlawful practices included the placement of listening devices in their cars and homes by private investigators, the surreptitious recording of private telephone calls, the payment of police "with corrupt links to private investigators" for sensitive information, impersonation to obtain medical information from hospitals and care facilities and illicit manipulation into accessing bank accounts, credit histories and other financial transactions.
Associated Newspapers deny the allegations, calling them "preposterous smears," the BBC reported.
On Monday, Prince Harry was joined in court by both John and Frost.
This week marked the first time Prince Harry, who relocated with Meghan Markle and their family to her home state of California in 2020 after stepping back from their royal roles, returned to the U.K. since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September. The couple was already in Europe for a series of charity appearances when his grandmother died at the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
PEOPLE understands that Prince Harry flew to the U.K. to show his support for the case. He informed both King Charles, 74, and Prince William, 40, that he would be in the U.K. for the proceedings, but it's unlikely that Harry will see his father or brother during the trip.
Prince William is not at his Windsor home while he and his wife, Kate Middleton, spend time with their three children during a school break. The Prince and Princess of Wales typically try to keep royal duties to a minimum while Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, are off from school. Meanwhile, King Charles was scheduled to be in France this week for the first overseas tour of his reign. However, the trip was postponed due to increasingly-violent riots across the country. King Charles and Queen Camilla, 75, will continue with their plan to visit Germany, arriving on Wednesday for the tour.
It's unclear where Prince Harry is staying during his visit to the U.K. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation confirmed to PEOPLE earlier this month that the couple was "requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," their U.K. home in Windsor, but it's not certain when they will officially move out.
Prince Harry, Meghan and their two children also have not announced if they will return to the U.K. in May for his father's coronation.
A spokesperson for the couple told The Sunday Times that they had been invited to the crowning ceremony in a statement earlier this month, saying, "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation." However, Harry and Meghan's spokesperson added that their attendance wasn't confirmed yet. "An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time," the statement continued.
Prince Harry may have another reason to be in the U.K. this May: the Duke of Sussex is one of several high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged unlawful information gathering, and the trial is set to begin on May 9 — just three days after the coronation. It is unclear if Harry will appear as a witness in the case.
Prince Harry is also undertaking a separate libel lawsuit against Associated Newspapers centering on a Mail on Sunday article about his legal battle with the British government over his police protection in the country.
