Prince Harry is suing the owners of The Sun and the Daily Mirror in relation to alleged phone hacking.
A royal source confirmed claims had been filed at the High Court “regarding the illegal interception of voicemail messages” but that as the particulars of the claims were not yet public, there could be no further comment.
News Group Newspapers, the owners of the two tabloids, confirmed to Sky News that claims against them had been issued.
It comes after Meghan Markle announced on Tuesday that she had launched legal action against the Mail on Sunday, alleging that the newspaper unlawfully published one of her private letters.
According to the law firm Schillings – which is representing the Duchess of Sussex – she has filed a High Court claim against the paper and its parent company, Associated Newspapers.
The case concerns the alleged misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.
The royals’ relationship with the press has been a notoriously controversial one over the years – sometimes ending up in court.
The Duke of Sussex grew up fully aware of the impact of the intense media intrusion on the daily life of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
He was only 12 when she was killed in a crash after her car, driven at speed by a drunk chauffeur, was chased through the streets of Paris by the paparazzi.
Soon after he began dating American actress Meghan Markle, Harry attacked the media over its “abuse and harassment” of his girlfriend, with Kensington Palace warning on his behalf: “This is not a game – it is her life.”
In 2012, Harry’s brother and sister-in-law the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched legal proceedings against French magazine Closer to stop it re-printing topless photographs of Kate taken while the couple were on holiday, PA Media reports.
The publication of the images prompted a fierce reaction at the time, with a statement issued by St James’s Palace stating they were “reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales”.
A court in Paris banned Closer, which is separate from the UK’s Closer magazine, from printing any further images.
After a trial in 2017, six people were convicted of charges relating to the taking and publication of the images, and the duke and duchess were awarded more than 100,000 euros in damages for breach of privacy.