Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

It's felt like both a long and short day here in the Rolls Building.

Long, because there's been a lot of waiting around. And short because there's been less than an hour of actual court proceedings.

Journalists around me are saying they have never seen anything like this before.

We had three delays, and then an early finish after the lawyers requested another delay - which was denied - but then they left to appeal this decision, effectively bringing the hearing to a close.

The judge was not happy with this, as he wanted to push on. I think we all did.

So, as things stand, the first day of the Prince Harry and Lord Watson case against News Group Newspapers is yet to kick off.

We aren't sure of the reasons for all the back and forth, but both teams of lawyers argued together for this further delay.

“We are very close, there is an issue with time and gaining instructions," the NGN lawyer said.

There are whisperings here as people wonder if a settlement could be reached, which is how many of the cases against the publisher have ended.

But Prince Harry so far has been adamant about taking the case to trial.

For now, it's not been the day we expected, but it's been an interesting watch nonetheless.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

If things weren't confusing before, they certainly are now.

We were struggling to hear the judge in the press room, and were piecing together the legal jargon of what just happened, when another journalist burst into the room with answers.

Now, we are all scrambling to update our editors, and trying to make sense of this confusing situation.

In a long-winded way, the lawyers today got what they wanted. The judge denied their request to delay the court, but because they have appealed it, this isn't a "delay" technically, but they won't be sitting until Wednesday morning.

So now, as we have done for most of the day, we wait.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

The lawyers are refused permission to appeal by the judge.

Mr Justice Fancourt won't let them appeal his decision to delay the proceedings.

But now, the lawyers can go to the Court of Appeal against this.

The court has risen and exited, and it's likely this is the last of the action in the Rolls building courtroom until tomorrow.

Dominic Casciani
Reporting from the High Court

Sherborne returns to court, saying he has been instructed on behalf of both claimants for leave to appeal against Mr Justice Fancourt's decision not to allow another adjournment.

Sherborne says he thinks such an adjournment would be a "sensible and appropriate course and the time is likely to be highly productive".

Hudson says that NGN joins the application for leave to appeal. He says that a very substantial sum becomes payable if the trial starts.

“We are very close, there is an issue with time and gaining instructions. It is not the only factor. We do say for the sake of an hour and a half the amount of money that is going to be involved if the trial starts this afternoon rather than tomorrow it would be unreasonable to the overriding objective [not to adjourn].”

Mr Justice Fancourt says that by seeking permission to go to the Court of Appeal this afternoon they achieve the objective he has resisted - delaying the case until tomorrow.

“We take no pleasure in seeking leave to appeal but the level of seriousness which we take this because of the very serious cost implications,” says Hudson.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

We were back again - but only ever so briefly.

The mood in the press overflow room, next door to the courtroom, is confused.

There were chuckles when, after the judge denied a third delay, Anthony Hudson KC stepped up and immediately pleaded for another break.

We can't quite believe it, as journalists around the room confirm with each other what we just heard.

Another 10 minutes it is.

Dominic Casciani
Reporting from the High Court

Anthony Hudson KC for NGN asks the judge to go into chambers - legalese for kicking out the public so that he can have a private word with the judge and pass on information that he cannot currently divulge.

Mr Justice Fancourt is not having any of it.

“In this of all cases, I’m not going to start having secret chambers about what is going on.”

However, he grants a final 10-minute delay - and as he does so Prince Harry’s solicitor, Roddy Chisholm Batten, dashes out of court with a colleague.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Mr Justice Fancourt says he has listened “very carefully” to what has been said, and understands there is a “settlement dynamic at play” and this might change throughout the case.

He says he is not persuaded, as it seems like a “very odd time” for them to come to terms on a settlement.

Each of the parties has a “substantial” legal team, Fancourt says, and he is “not satisfied that this is anything to do with the time difference”.

He adds there was “ample time” this morning to resolve their differences, which they have not done so.

“I see no reason to change my mind about that”, Mr Justice Fancourt continues.

He does not grant further adjournment.

Dominic Casciani
Reporting from the High Court

But no sooner are we poised to open the case when again Prince Harry's lawyer asks for a third delay.

David Sherborne has asked for more time for behind-the-scenes talks - with the agreement of NGN’s barrister Anthony Hudson KC.

“Having spoken with Mr Hudson we would like to ask for more time,” he tells the judge.

“We don’t do that lightly but we do believe that a couple of hours more today ... may be productive for the overall timetable of the trial. There’s only so much I can say.

“Mr Hudson and I would not be asking for more time if there was not a potentially good prospect of saving more time.”

Hudson tells the court that the real issue for the delays is “time differences”. This is clearly an indication that someone who needs to be part of the talks is in a different time zone, which surely means Prince Harry.

However, what’s clear is that whatever is being thrashed out is short of a final settlement of the case, as both sides’ barristers are talking about how whatever is being discussed will shorten the case, rather than end it.

“The opportunity that is presenting itself today may be less attractive once the trial has started,” says Hudson.

Dominic Casciani
Reporting from the High Court

We’re back in the High Court for the expected opening of Prince Harry’s case.

It’s now been delayed very unusually for an entire morning - and we learned enough before the adjournment to gather that both sides are talking to each other.

This suggests that there has been some kind of talks about settlement - but we cannot know for sure because those talks, if they’ve been going on, would be legally confidential.

Just assuming that media speculation is right, the question would then be what would Prince Harry get in an offer of settlement and what would News Group Newspapers be prepared to give away from its long-held red lines.

It spent £1bn on settlements to 1,300 people to avoid trials and legal findings of wrongdoing.

This is the media talk this afternoon - and we wait to see if we will find out what has been going on.

Alex Therrien
Live Editor

With the High Court case between Prince Harry, Lord Watson and News Group Newspapers due to resume in the next 10 minutes, we're now restarting our live coverage.

As you can see from our posts below, Mr Justice Fancourt granted two adjournments to the hearing this morning - both made at the request of Prince Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne.

Before the break, Mr Justice Fancourt said the second adjournment would also be the last.

Stay with us for updates from the High Court, where BBC reporters are attending.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Mr Justice Fancourt has granted two delays to the hearing this morning.

We've been waiting since 10:30 GMT for things to start, but now it'll be 14:00.

The judge had repeatedly expressed his frustration, referring to the two sides as entrenched, well-resourced armies refusing to give any ground to each other.

At a hearing in November, the judge said it was "unsatisfactory that so little progress has been made" and that there needs to be "further work done on both sides".

No doubt, this will add to his frustrations.

We are now pausing our coverage of the trial and will resume shortly before 14:00 GMT.

Dominic Casciani
Reporting from the High Court

Mr Justice Fancourt has allowed the trial to be adjourned until 14;00 GMT.

“I am a little concerned about the timetable overall,” he says. “On the other hand an hour or two in the context of eight weeks is not significant.

“If the parties can assure me that time will be beneficial and will produce some outcome, then I am willing to provide some further time - but it has to be the last adjournment.”

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

David Sherborne, the lawyer for Lord Watson and Prince Harry, has asked the judge for further time to discuss with his team, "until lunchtime".

It's the second delay he has requested this morning.

News Group Newspapers lawyer Anthony Hudson KC says he endorses the application for more time.

Mr Justice Fancourt grants the application - we now wait until 14:00 GMT for proceedings to resume.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Court has filled back up again, after the surprise appearance of Lord Watson.

After a break of an hour, proceedings have now restarted.

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from outside the High Court

I’m outside the court building and Lord Tom Watson has just turned up.

That may be why lawyer David Sherborne asked for a delay to the start of the hearing, but we don’t know for sure.

Tom Watson was formerly Labour's deputy leader and is the other remaining claimant in this case alongside Prince Harry.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

We’re still waiting for court to resume.

In the meantime, some seats have emptied out in the main courtroom.

Prince Harry’s lawyer has just got up and removed his wig, sharing a joke with colleagues before leaving.

The representatives of News Group Newspapers remain silently in the room.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

Prince Harry is bringing to court claims that date back to the 90s. So why now?

The Duke of Sussex says he became aware they may have been targeted back in 2006.

But, he says as the scandal deepened, he held on for NGN to settle Royal Family claims under a "secret agreement" to avoid embarrassment in court.

NGN's lawyers have said this is "Alice in Wonderland stuff" - and the court has ruled it hasn't seen evidence of such a backroom deal.

That did not happen, and so here we are, all these years later, as Harry continues to fight against tabloid journalism for intruding on his private life.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent

This is a deeply personal battle for Prince Harry. It feels like a mission as much as a legal complaint.

His campaign against what he sees as the intrusions and the abuses of the tabloid press is woven into his own personal story - with links to the loss of his mother Diana and to his decision to leave the UK.

“The goal is accountability. It’s really that simple,” he told a media event in New York in December.

While others have settled their claims against NGN, he has doggedly pursued this case, and now finally he’s ready to have his claims heard in court.

Imogen James
Reporting from the High Court

We have been waiting patiently this morning for the proceedings to begin, but the first request from David Sherborne, Prince Harry's lawyer, is for a one-hour adjournment.

There are sighs in the room I am in, and murmurs begin between the press, as we get ready to sit for another hour.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Prince Harry is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) - the parent company of The Sun and the long-closed News of the World - over alleged intrusion into his personal life.

Though the prince's allegations date back to 1996, he and his brother Prince William first became aware they may have been targeted in 2006.

The trial will look at a sample of around 30 stories published by NGN between 1996 and 2011 which the prince says contained information gathered by illegal means.

It marks the first time that NGN has had to defend itself against allegations that its journalists and executives across the whole organisation were involved in or knew about unlawful newsgathering techniques.

There will be hours of analysis of how the Sun got scoops such as "Emotional Harry rang Chelsy at midnight" - a story that ran almost 20 years ago to the day about his then-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.