The prince spoke at a trial being held in London, opposing him to the publisher of the “Daily Mirror”.
This is one of the legal battles initiated by Prince Harry. The youngest son of King Charles III denounced, Tuesday, June 6, the intrusion of the press in his life. Since the start of this trial, which opened in London (United Kingdom) last month, Harry has accused the publisher of the DailyMirror of using illicit methods to gather information, including hacking into voicemails, between 1996 and 2010. “Each article made me suffer”said the Duke of Sussex, after being sworn on the Bible as a witness.
The prince described, in an often hesitant voice, how in every palace the newspapers were always present. “In my experience as a member of the royal family, each of us is assigned a specific role by the tabloid press”, did he declare. And the prince to list: “You are either the playboy prince or the failure (…) or in my case the cheater, the underage drinker, the irresponsible drug addict and the list goes on and on.”. “Looking back on it today, such behavior on their part is quite despicable”he added.
“How much more blood will stain their fingers before someone stops this madness?”, questioned Harry, who accuses the tabloid press of being responsible for the death of his mother Diana, chased by paparazzi in Paris in 1997, in his witness statement, read at the hearing. Statement in which he also denounces the links between the press and the government, both “at the lowest”.
Apology presented by the “Daily Mirror”
In all, 33 contentious articles were retained by the judge in the procedure, out of 147 referred to by Harry. Prince Harry’s lawyer said the media group used the services of “at least 30 private investigators”. Faced with these accusations, Andrew Green, the lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) – who, in addition to the daily DailyMirror publish Sunday Mirror And Sunday Peoplerenewed the apology “without reservation” of the group.
If MGN has admitted since the trial “some evidence” illegal collection of information, the group highlights the age of the facts and rejects certain accusations. “There is simply no evidence to conclude that the Duke of Sussex was hacked”said his defense on Monday.
This testimony from the 38-year-old prince marks the first appearance of a member of the royal family on the stand since that of the future Edward VII in 1891 for a libel trial. Exiled to California with his wife Meghan, the youngest son of King Charles III, at odds with the rest of the British royal family, also criticizes the people press for what he describes as harassment towards Meghan and for having a responsibility in the bad relationship he has with his family.