Prince Harry to miss first day of High Court trial

Prince Harry won't travel to the UK for the first day of his trial against the tabloid media.

It's believed he will testify in court in person in February.

The trial is against News Group Newspapers (NGN), which Harry claims used unethical and illegal methods to gather stories about him over the course of many years.

The trial begins on 21 January and is expected to last seven weeks.

In December, the Duke of Sussex told how he wants to speak at the trial because "I am the last person that can actually achieve (accountability)."

He told how he wants to achieve "closure" for the hundreds of other people who were forced to settle out of court.

This includes Hugh Grant, who settled out of court last year because his personal legal costs were due to be around $10 million (£8.17 million), even if the judge ruled in his favour.

He took to social media, writing, "As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court. I don't want to accept this money or settle. I would love to see all the allegations that they deny tested in court. But the rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides."

Of around 40 original plaintiffs suing NGN, Harry is one of just two still fighting the case.