The Duke of Sussex has made strong claims at the court session about the press’s illegal means of obtaining information.
Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry has been a hearing witness in a trial where the evening newspaper publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) is the defendant.
During the second day of the session, Prinsi has been cross-examined about his claims about the media’s illegal information gathering methods.
The prince says the magazines paid a total of 289 times to private investigators to get information on his movements and whereabouts.
The constant monitoring led to paranoia in relationships
The prince said at the trial that the relentless monitoring of his life led to paranoia.
– Paranoia was associated with human relationships. I immediately became suspicious if the papers mentioned someone who was with me by name.
In his written statement, the prince tells how he began to suspect that he was the target of phone hacking while studying at the private school Eton.
– The voice messages were listened to many times. I didn’t pay attention to it at first, I put it down to a technical fault or I just thought I’d downed too many drinks and forgot I’d listened to them, the prince said.
In the field, a vague reception committee
The prince also brought up his ex-girlfriend’s arrival at the airport Chelsy Davyn with in 2009.
According to Prins, the cameramen were in the field based on illegally obtained information.
– I walked into the hall wearing a cap, and there were several men on the field filming me with small cameras. The five bearded men had rucksacks and backpacks. Neither I nor my security man could tell if they were aiming for a gun or a camera.
The pub lunch was revealed
The trial also dealt with the Prince’s pub lunch on London’s Fulham Road in 2000.
The prince inquired how it was possible that the photographers knew to be waiting for him and his entourage on the spot.
Prince Harry said he did not walk into the pub and bystanders could not see him going there. The publisher’s defense asked how the prince got there. According to the prince, he was transported by car.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, they got a tip about the visit and went to the place based on that. Among other things, someone who follows the trial writes about the matter British broadcasting company BBC.
The MGN trial started last month. It is estimated to last about two months at most.
Difficult relationship with the media
King Charles’s younger son Harry is fifth in line to the throne. Harry, Duke of Sussex, has had a difficult relationship with the media, especially after he and his American wife, an actress Meghan Markle moved to California, USA.
He has also distanced himself from the royal family. He attended the coronation of King Charles earlier in the spring, but he had no official role in the event.
Among other things, Harry has repeatedly accused the family of being complicit in the stories in British newspapers that discussed his and Markle’s life.
Harry has also accused British tabloids of racism towards his spouse. In addition, he stated in a Netflix documentary about the couple that “sometimes the royal family was more of a problem than a solution” regarding racism in Britain.
The prince has also, for example, accused his brother the prince William’s attacked her while the brothers were fighting over Markle.
This is how Londoners commented on Harry’s book of revelations in January: