By Gabriel Princewill-
Actress and business woman, Liz Hurley, was in tears as she accused the Daily Mail publisher of stealing her medical records while she was pregnant with her son, and said she was left “devastated” to discover that they had allegedly tapped her phone.
The actress, 60, was tearful in the witness box at the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London, where she was accompanied by her son Damian, with Prince Harry also in attendance to support.
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She and six other public figures are suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering (UIG). ANL vehemently denies the serious allegations of unlawful intrusion into their private lives.
The Duke of Sussex who gave evidence on Wednesday watched the proceedings as Hurley echoed similar sentiments before a packed court house.
Her written evidence, she said: “The Mail’s unlawful acts against me involve landline tapping my phones and recording my live telephone conversations, placing surreptitious mics on my home windows, stealing my medical information when I was pregnant with Damian and other monstrous, staggering things.” Ms Hurley continued: “Above all, it was the discovery that The Mail had tapped the landlines of my home phones and tape recorded my live telephone conversations that devastated me.
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“I had not come across this brutal invasion of privacy in either of my two battles with the other newspapers. I felt crushed. It represented the ultimate violation of privacy.”She is one of seven claimants taking legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited for alleged unlawful information gathering, which includes phone hacking and ‘blagging’ private records.
She said: “I felt really mortified that my son would be able to read all this stuff one day, and I feel really bad that that day is today when all this stuff is being regurgitated again.
“Yet again, everyone’s privacy is being invaded in this terrible way, and I feel very helpless about that.”
Ms Hurley also told the court she used to think of the British press as the best in the world, and to some extent, still does.
She added there were “just some rotten eggs”.
She continued: “I don’t have a vendetta against the British press. I don’t have a vendetta or hatred of Associated at all, I just feel some bad things went on with some bad people.”
Liz Hurley’s son Damian joined her in court (Jeff Moore/PA)
Her evidences comes a day after Prince Harry told the court: “They have made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”
Harry described the experience of being in court as ”a horrible experience ” when responding to his barrister, David Sherborne on Wednesday, adding that all he and his co-litigators wanted was an apology and accountability.
“It’s a horrible experience.”
In his 23-page witness statement, Harry said that when he brought legal action against two other newspaper publishers, he had “no idea” that he may have had a claim against ANL.
He continued: “As I am sure is clear, if I had known earlier then I would have acted, particularly given ANL’s treatment of Meghan and her claim against it.”
The Duchess of Sussex sued ANL and won in 2021 after The Mail On Sunday published parts of a “personal and private” letter to her father Thomas Markle.
Soon after he began dating Meghan, Harry attacked the media over its “abuse and harassment” of her.
Kensington Palace warned on his behalf: “This is not a game – it is her life.”
In a frosty exchange between Harry and lawyers acting on behalf of ANL, the duke told the High Court: “My social circles were not leaky, I want to make that absolutely clear.”
He said that if he became suspicious of someone, “I would have to cut contact with this person”.
One of the stories complained about by Harry related to “confidential discussions” he had after a photo of a dying Diana, Princess of Wales was published in the Italian press – an article he described as “beyond cruel”.
Hurley’s own evidence today paints a grim picture of a boundless invasion of privacy through unlawful means, adding to the weight of allegations by the duke of sussex against which ANL will have to credibly push back.
Hurley’s Background
Hurley first rose to international prominence in the mid-1990s. As of 2026, she remains a prominent cultural figure, celebrated for her “multi-hyphenate” career that spans over 30 years in film, television, and global philanthropy.
The model and actress is most widely recognized for her breakout roles as Vanessa Kensington in the Austin Powers franchise (1997) and as the Devil in Bedazzled (2000). Her more recent work includes starring as Queen Helena in the E! series The Royals (2015–2018) and portraying the sorceress Morgan le Fay in Marvel’s Runaways (2019). In 2026, she is set to star in the Channel 4 competition drama The Inheritance.
Along with Hugh Grant, she founded Simian Films in 1994, where she served as a producer on major films like Extreme Measures (1996) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). Most recently, she produced and starred in the 2024 thriller Strictly Confidential, directed by her son, Damian Hurley.
At age 29, she signed her first modelling contract with Estée Lauder, a partnership that has lasted over 30 years—one of the longest-running beauty contracts in the world. She also founded her own luxury beachwear line, Elizabeth Hurley Beach, in 2005, which she continues to design and manage.
Hurley has spent more than three decades as the Global Ambassador for The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign. She has helped raise more than $1 billion for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
She has received honours her extensive fundraising efforts, she received the BCRF Humanitarian Award. In her honour, two research scientists at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK hold grants in her name.
She is a patron for several other organizations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Prince’s Trust, and the City Veterans Network.
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