Prince Andrew's former lover Koo Stark to launch landmark phone hacking claim in the US against the Murdoch empire

Prince Andrew's former girlfriend Koo Stark is threatening to sue Rupert Murdoch's media company, claiming that her phone was hacked while she was on US soil.

She is the first person to be confirmed as considering legal action against News Corp in the States over the hacking scandal, which has so far been largely confined to the UK.

If the contagion were to spread across the Atlantic it could prove highly damaging to Mr Murdoch.

'No proceedings have been issued either in America or here as yet but it could be a way forward,' a source close to the   55-year-old former actress said.

Single mother Miss Stark is a client of Mark Lewis, the solicitor representing many celebrities who have won damages against Mr Murdoch's now defunct newspaper the News of the World.         More Read