Court hears: Phone hacking authorised at highest levels of publisher
Prince Harry is among high-profile figures accusing the publisher of using private investigators and phone hacking to gain access to stories about them.
His barrister David Sherborne said millions of pounds were paid to private investigators, with the payments signed off by senior figures at MGN.
MGN denies the claims.
It is alleged that journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People newspapers obtained private and confidential information about people's lives through various illegal means.
The bulk of the trial's evidence is 207 newspaper stories published between 1991 and 2011 - some 67% of which were written about Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
Mr Sherborne told the High Court one of the most "serious and troubling" features of the case is the extent to which "widespread, habitual and unlawful" activities were "authorised at the highest level".
This included "the systemic and widespread use of PIs (private investigators) by MGN journalists to unlawfully obtain private information" of various individuals, Mr Sherborne told London's High Court.
Mr Sherborne has referred the court to vital senior figures in MGN who he claims "authorised" the unlawful obtaining of information.
He said this included former editors Piers Morgan, Neil Wallis, Tina Weaver, Mark Thomas, Richard Wallace and Bridget Rowe, and alleged that managing editors and senior executives also knew.
"Mr Morgan was right at the heart of this in many ways," Mr Sherbourne told the court. "He was a hands-on editor and was close to the board. We have the direct involvement of Mr Morgan in a number of these incidents."
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