Elton John husband Furnish: Wanted to help Harry after Diana’s death

The husband of British pop star Elton John (76), David Furnish (60), describes the friendship between him and his partner with Britain’s Prince Harry as “very close, fatherly and protective”.

“Elton and I were close friends of his mother (Princess Diana), whom we loved dearly, and when she died we wanted to do everything we could to give him (Harry) a sense of security, a space of trust and… .of protection,” Furnish explained in written testimony in the preliminary proceedings of a class action lawsuit brought by several British celebrities against the publisher of the “Daily Mail”.

Prince Harry (38) appeared on Tuesday for the second day in a row at the pro forma hearing. He and other celebrities accuse the “Mail” journalists of spying on them. The publisher ANL (Associated Newspapers Limited), which also owns the ‘Mail on Sunday’ and ‘MailOnline’, denies the allegations and argues that they are already time-barred.

The preparatory hearing, which lasts several days, is about whether the lawsuit should be admitted to the main proceedings. The plaintiffs allege, among other things, that they were tapped using bugs hidden on windows or in cars. Phone conversations were also tapped, according to the allegation. The summary proceedings will last until Thursday, but a decision on the continuation is not expected until later. (sda/dpa)