David Furnish, the spouse of renowned British singer Elton John, testified in London’s High Court that the Daily Mail’s publisher had illicitly acquired information about them, including details allegedly obtained from their friend, Prince Harry. Furnish, a Canadian producer involved in a lawsuit with six other claimants against Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail, accused the publication of being “actively homophobic” in their portrayal of their relationship.
Associated Newspapers refuted the allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful practices made by Furnish, John, and the other claimants, asserting that the information reported in their newspapers was either already public knowledge or sourced legitimately. The publisher’s legal representative, Catrin Evans, suggested that the information in question might have originated from other media outlets, John’s official website, or statements from his spokesperson.
However, Furnish, providing testimony via video link, emphasized that the details in the Mail’s articles were far more specific than what was publicly available. He joined a group of claimants, including Prince Harry, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, former lawmaker Simon Hughes, and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence, in the high-profile legal battle. Elton John is scheduled to give his testimony on the following day.
The lawsuit brought by Furnish and John relates to ten articles published between 2002 and 2015, including a piece from 2007 in the Mail on Sunday regarding a concert commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, in a 1997 car accident. While Harry suspected that voicemail messages between him and John were intercepted regarding the concert, the Mail’s legal team claimed that the information came from credible royal sources.
In his written statement, Furnish alleged that their home’s landlines were bugged and pointed to the involvement of the Mail in “the stealing of our information through our friends Elizabeth Hurley and Prince Harry.” He expressed Elton’s admiration for Prince Harry and criticized the Mail for publishing “judgmental and narrow-minded” stories about them. Furnish also highlighted an incident involving the Mail obtaining their son’s birth certificate before them, labeling it as “deeply disturbing.”
The couple felt violated by the intrusion into their private lives and the unauthorized access to personal information. Furnish condemned the exploitation of their friendships and the breach of their family’s privacy, emphasizing the distress caused by the incidents. Prince Harry had separately settled a lawsuit in 2025 with Rupert Murdoch’s News Groups Newspapers, receiving damages and an apology for the unlawful intrusion into his private affairs by The Sun tabloid and the now-defunct News of the World.