British pop star Elton John's husband, David Furnish, 60, has described his friendship with his partner Britain's Prince Harry as "very close, fatherly and protective". "Elton and I were great friends to his mother (Princess Diana), whom we loved dearly, and when she died we wanted to do everything in our power to give him (Harry) a sense of security, a space of trust and... of protection," Furnish explained in written testimony in the pre-trial 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 pre-trial hearing. He and other celebrities accuse the "Mail" journalists of having spied 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 preliminary hearing, which lasts several days, is about whether the lawsuit will be admitted to the main proceedings. The plaintiffs allege, among other things, that they were bugged using bugs hidden on windows or in cars. Telephone calls were also intercepted, according to the allegation. The preliminary proceedings are scheduled to last until Thursday, but a decision on how to proceed is not expected until a later date.