Prince Harry has every right to take on the Daily Mail. But is phone hacking yesterday’s problem? | Simon Jenkins

It was a scourge in the 90s and 00s. Now, though, what we need is new privacy laws to regulate the excesses of social media

Never did a stranger Magnificent Seven ride into town. It includes a royal prince, an ageing pop star, two B-movie film stars and a former Lib Dem MP. All were chosen as wounded heroes by the champions of privacy against the mighty Daily Mail. Heaven knows what this grievance-fest is costing but someone can afford it.

We all know tabloid newspapers in the 1990s and 2000s could behave outrageously, notably in their coverage of celebrity. Intrusive photography and phone hacking were rife. Technology was always ahead of policing. Intrusion was called the price of celebrity" and only the lucky escaped paying it. No one familiar with the press at the time would be surprised at the charges now levied against Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. These include the commissioning of external investigators to tap landlines and intercept voicemails, and the blagging of medical records. The publisher strongly denies the allegations.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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