A judge ruled on Thursday that Prince Harry can pursue his lawsuit against The Sun’s publisher at a trial in 2024.

Mr Justice Fancourt of London’s High Court ruled that the Duke of Sussex can go to trial against officials at News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, over his allegations of unlawful information gathering.

However, he ruled that the 38-year-old cannot pursue his claims of phone hacking.

Lawyers for NGN had argued that the case should be thrown out because it was brought after the six-year time limit.

The judge concluded that the royal was aware of the phone-hacking scandal and therefore lodged his claim too late. However, he allowed him to proceed with his allegations of unlawful information gathering (UIG).

Fancourt ruled that Harry had a “realistically arguable” case that he did not know enough about other methods of UIG during the six-year window.

“There is no evidence currently before me that the Duke knew before the (deadline to file a suit) that NGN had done anything other than hack his mobile phone (at the News of the World),” Fancourt wrote, according to The Associated Press. “Knowing or being on notice of a worthwhile claim for voicemail interception does not of itself amount to knowledge or notice of a worthwhile claim for other forms of UIG.”

A NGN spokesperson called Thursday’s ruling a “significant victory” that “substantially reduces the scope of his legal claim”.

Harry, who is involved in legal battles with other newspaper publishers, is scheduled to go to trial against NGN in January 2024.

– Cover Media