The Duke of Sussex was unavailable to testify because he’d taken a flight from Los Angeles after the birthday of his 2-year-old daughter.

Prince Harry will break royal precedent once again when he testifies this week in court, becoming the first British royal to do so in more than a century. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is expected to take the stand Tuesday and Wednesday in his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mirror.

He is taking the stand — and spreading more royal gossip and allegations — in multiple lawsuits against the British press.

LONDON — Prince Harry is about to take his battle with the media to a historic new stage, becoming the first high-ranking member of the British royal family in 130 years to appear as a witness in court.

The BBC has reached out to DHS for comment. Prince Harry, now 38, has admitted to drug use both as a teenager and an adult. In Spare, he said he used cocaine as a teenager and smoked marijuana while a pupil at Eton. Both drugs are illegal in the UK.

The last senior British royal who spoke in court was Princess Anne, Harry’s aunt, in 2002. Her one-word statement: “Guilty.” Anne was charged under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her English bull terrier Dotty attacked two children in Windsor Great Park. The princess was ordered to better train her dog and pay about $1,400.

Prince Harry has blamed the paparazzi for causing the car crash that killed his mother, Princess Diana. He also said the U.K. press has prompted him and Meghan Markle to leave the country.