Six months after Prince Harry’s appearance in the witness stand at the London High Court, the time has come: a verdict is expected today in the 39-year-old royal and other celebrities’ damages claim against the “Mirror” publisher.
The younger son of the British King Charles III. accuses journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People of spying on him using illegal means. Among other things, voice messages on his cell phone were intercepted and analyzed for reports about him and private detectives were hired.
The fact that Harry himself took the witness stand at the trial in June caused a stir. He was cross-examined for two days – the first British royal to do so in 130 years.
Using 33 articles from MGN’s Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People from 1996 to 2009, Prince Harry and his legal team wanted to show that illegally obtained information was used in reporting on him.
Some of the reports were about juicy details such as visiting a strip club or the end of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy or sports injuries. The information was so intimate, he argued, that it could only have come from intercepting cell phone voice messages and other illegal information gathering. He did not provide any concrete evidence.
Harry spoke quietly, often barely audible, and sometimes seemed frustrated. The alleged spying had caused him severe mental suffering and put a strain on his friendships and relationships, he complained and concluded by admitting that it had demanded a lot from him to take the witness stand.
The lawyer for publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), Andrew Green, had largely rejected the allegations and argued that the reporting was based on legally obtained information. Often the sources were publicly available or people around him who chatted.
It is undisputed that illegal methods were widespread in many British newspapers during the period in question – including MGN papers. However, the burden of proof lay with the Duke of Sussex and his co-plaintiffs, even if it is not as difficult to provide in civil proceedings as in a criminal case.
Prince Harry, it emerged from a written witness statement he submitted, is concerned with more than just his own painful experiences as a teenager and young adult. He views the British tabloids, or “tabloids” as they are known in the United Kingdom, as self-indulgent. He is convinced that the accidental death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997 was also caused by the paparazzi who were on her heels and repeatedly warned that history could repeat itself with his wife Meghan (42).
“Our country will be judged around the world by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at a low point,” he wrote in his written statement. The press is no longer living up to its mission of holding the government to account and is instead “going to bed” with it so that everything stays as it is.
Harry, who left the royal family’s inner circle almost four years ago and lives with his family in the USA, is waging a veritable crusade against the tabloid press. Several other cases alleging illegal information gathering are pending, including against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers. The outcome of the lawsuit against the Mirror Group is likely to be a first indication of whether his mission will be successful.
