Mail editor kept Catherine's pregnancy secret for days, court hears

A Mail on Sunday editor claims she knew Princess Catherine was pregnant with her first child days before the Palace announcement but kept the information to herself, the High Court has heard.

Charlotte Griffiths was giving evidence to in the privacy trial brought by seven people, including Prince Harry and Sir Elton John, who are suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) - publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday - for "grave breaches of privacy".

Griffiths said her behaviour was proof she would "draw a line" between her professional and personal life, claiming she had never used a private investigator or hacked a phone.

ANL has denied any wrongdoing.

Defending her reporting about Sir Elton and actress Elizabeth Hurley, Griffiths argued the information came from sources and not the use of investigators.

She told the court she had socialised in some of the same circles as the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex, and had a attended a country house party where Prince William said Princess Catherine had morning sickness so would not be attending.

"I draw a line between my professional and own personal life, as compared to my attending events as a journalist," Griffiths said.

"The fact that [Princess Catherine] was pregnant with their first child would have been big news and St James's Palace only confirmed it the following Monday because she had to be admitted to hospital. I decided to keep it to myself.

"I missed a scoop to maintain my friendships and because I knew where the line was and had decided not to cross it."

Griffiths also said she interacted socially with Prince Harry including at a party where he allegedly stayed up all night before having to attend an event related to Trooping the Colour the next morning.

David Sherborne, barrister for the claimants, suggested Griffiths had "invented" the story about Princess Catherine's pregnancy, and it was an example of her "making up" connections with the Royal Family.

Griffiths said this was "incorrect".

Sherborne also suggested Griffiths used private investigators who engaged in unlawful acts to write articles in the claim related to Sir Elton and Hurley, which she again denied.

The trial is due to continue until some time later this month, with a judgement in writing due at a late date.

Other claimants include Sir Simon Hughes, the former Liberal Democrat MP, Sir Elton's husband David Furnish and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, a campaigner whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in south London in 1993.