**Elizabeth Hurley Describes "Monstrous" Privacy Invasion by Daily Mail in British Media Hacking Case**

Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley took to the witness stand on Thursday, unleashing a scathing critique of the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd., as she described the paper's alleged invasion of her privacy.

Hurley, who was accompanied by Prince Harry in court, accused the publisher of hiring private investigators to tap her phones, place microphones outside her windows, and steal her medical records. The actress and model likened the experience to "living with sinister thieves" who had been invading her home without her knowledge.

"The best way I can describe it is like there's someone peeping into your life and into your home," Hurley said, her voice trembling as she recounted the ordeal. "It makes me feel as if my private life has been violated by violent intruders – that there had been sinister thieves in my home all along and that I'd been living with them completely unaware."

Hurley's testimony came on the heels of Prince Harry's emotional appearance in court, where he spoke about the toll his battle against the British media had taken on him and his family. The prince showed up to support Hurley during much of her testimony, a testament to the close bond between them.

The lawsuit, which also involves Elton John among other claimants, alleges that Associated Newspapers Ltd. hired private investigators to unlawfully snoop on the celebrities over two decades. The publisher denies the claims, calling them "preposterous" and insisting that many of the articles in question were based on legitimate sources.

Hurley revealed that she was unaware of similar allegations against the Mail until 2020, when a former private investigator, Gavin Burrows, came forward with sworn testimony claiming he had stolen her information at the behest of the newspapers. However, Burrows later disavowed this statement and denied ever working for the Mail.

Hurley claimed that at least 15 articles published about her between 2002 and 2011 relied on unlawful information-gathering, including some that dealt with the birth of her son, Damian, and a paternity dispute with his father, Steve Bing. "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," she said.

Hurley expressed her hope that her son would never have to see the articles in question, saying "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."

As she became visibly upset while viewing some of the offending articles in court, Hurley echoed Prince Harry's sentiments on the emotional toll taken by the media's invasion of their privacy. "Yet again, everyone's privacy is being invaded in this terrible way, and I feel very helpless about that," she said.

The trial, which has been ongoing for nine weeks, will continue to shed light on the alleged hacking scandal and the far-reaching consequences of the Daily Mail's actions. As one of the claimants, Elizabeth Hurley's testimony is a stark reminder of the devastating impact such invasive behavior can have on individuals and their loved ones.