Prince Harry fought back tears as he accused the Daily Mail of causing immense distress to his wife, Meghan, during his court appearance on Wednesday at London’s High Court in his legal battle against the newspaper’s publisher. The Duke of Sussex, aged 41, along with six other plaintiffs, including singer Elton John, are taking legal action against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Mail, for infringing on their privacy from the early 1990s to the 2010s.
Associated Newspapers, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, has dismissed the claims as baseless, asserting that its journalists had credible sources for their information, including individuals connected to the celebrities. Prince Harry, becoming the first royal in 130 years to testify in court during another lawsuit against the media in 2023, strongly responded to questions from Antony White, a lawyer representing Associated, but became emotional when discussing the impact of the case.
Expressing his dismay, Harry stated in court, “I believe it is fundamentally unjust to subject us to this ordeal again when all we sought was an apology and some level of accountability. It is a distressing experience, and the most unfortunate part is that by standing up against them, they persist in targeting me.”
Struggling to contain his emotions, Prince Harry added, “They have caused immense suffering to my wife.” Earlier, he repeatedly refuted White’s claims that the journalists from the newspapers had close ties to his social circle. He clarified, “I want to make it clear that I am not acquainted with any of these journalists, and I never have been. My social circles were not leaky.”
The core of the prince’s case revolves around 14 articles that his legal team alleges were the result of illicit information gathering methods, such as voicemail hacking, phone line eavesdropping, and obtaining private details through deception, known as “blagging.” Associated’s attorney White argued that the information in the articles was obtained lawfully, mentioning that a former royal editor of the Mail on Sunday, Katie Nicholl, was part of Prince Harry’s social circle.
Responding to this, Prince Harry questioned, “If the sources were so reliable and she was part of all my friends’ gatherings, why did she resort to private investigators associated with unlawful information gathering?” Despite attempting to maintain a civil relationship with reporters, Prince Harry expressed feeling coerced into dealing with them and accused them of exploiting his private life for commercial gain.
The lawsuit has drawn attention to the contentious relationship between the British royals and the tabloid press, with Prince Harry’s emotional testimony shedding light on the impact of intrusive media scrutiny on his family.