David Furnish, the spouse of renowned British singer Elton John, testified at London’s High Court that the Daily Mail’s publisher had obtained confidential information about them, including details allegedly taken from their acquaintance, Prince Harry. Furnish, a Canadian producer, is among the seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers over privacy violations. He accused the Mail publications of displaying discriminatory behavior towards their relationship.
Associated Newspapers refuted the accusations of illicit activities, such as phone hacking, made by Furnish, John, and the other claimants. The publisher stated that the information reported in their newspapers was either public knowledge or obtained from legitimate sources, including media outlets, John’s official website, or statements from his spokesperson.
During his testimony via video link, Furnish emphasized that the specific details in the Mail articles exceeded what could have been sourced from other channels. He highlighted concerns about their home’s phone lines potentially being tapped and pointed to alleged information theft from their friends, Elizabeth Hurley and Prince Harry.
The ongoing lawsuit involves ten articles published between 2002 and 2015, with a particular focus on a 2007 piece in the Mail on Sunday regarding a tribute concert for Princess Diana’s 10th death anniversary. Prince Harry, another claimant in the case, mentioned the possibility of voicemail exchanges with John related to the concert, while the Mail’s legal team claimed the information originated from well-placed royal contacts.
Furnish expressed distress over the invasion of their privacy, citing instances where personal documents, like their son’s birth certificate, were acquired by the Mail before reaching them. He condemned the publisher for exploiting their relationships to obtain sensitive information and violating their family’s privacy.
In a separate legal matter, Prince Harry reached a settlement in 2025 with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, receiving damages and an apology for privacy breaches at The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.
