King Charles makes big statement as he appears at court ahead of Harry’s hacking claim ruling

King Charles III made a surprise visit to the Royal Courts of Justice in London a day before the ruling on his younger son Prince Harry's hacking claims against a tabloid newspaper publisher.

The 75-year-old monarch appeared at the High Court to celebrate the work of the judiciary on Thursday, thanking the judges to maintain the system of justice in this country.

Charles was all smiles and in high spirits as he walked in on students who had just participated in a mock trial in a courtroom.

Prince William's father joked "I’m so sorry to interrupt" before chatting to the young people from Ashcroft Technology College in Putney, south-west London.

The royal family's official social media accounts shared the monarch's stunning photo from the visit, captioning: "The King has visited the Royal Courts of Justice to celebrate the work of the judiciary and its commitment to the rule of law."

In his meaningful statement to the judges and magistrates, King Charles said: "Maybe I’d be permitted just to thank you all enormously for the amount of effort you put into maintaining the system of justice in this country, which so many others seem to be envious of I discover when going around the world. He concluded: "I cannot thank you enough."

The monarch's visit came a day before his youngest son Harry is due to find out the outcome of his unlawful information gathering claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in a High Court ruling.

It is to mention here that The Duke of Sussex sued the publisher for damages, claiming journalists at its titles – the Daily and Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called "blagging" or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

Justice Fancourt, the judge who oversaw a trial of the claims, is likely to give his verdict at a hearing on Friday.