Prince Harry obtained the conviction of the editor of the British tabloid on Friday Daily Mirror for articles resulting from the hacking of telephone messages, his first major victory in the war he has waged against the tabloid press.
Through his lawyer David Sherborne, the youngest son of King Charles III hailed a “great day for the truth”, and a judgment which gives him “reason” and “confidence”. “The mission continues,” he added.
The judgment rendered Friday is the first in a series of legal proceedings brought against the British press by the 39-year-old prince, who personally traveled to court to testify in this case.
He condemns the publishing company of MirrorMGN, to pay him 140,600 pounds sterling (approximately $238,699) in damages.
Judge Timothy Fancourt found that 15 of the 33 disputed articles retained in the proceedings – published between 1996 and 2009 – were the result of hacking into the voicemail boxes of the Duke of Sussex or his entourage as well as other illicit processes.
He estimated that Prince Harry’s mobile phone messaging had been hacked “to a modest extent”.
The magistrate ruled that the group’s titles had massively hacked into the voicemails of celebrities between 2006 and 2011, including while a public inquiry into the behavior of the British press was taking place.
“Industrial scale”
During the trial, Prince Harry, at odds with the royal family, testified for eight hours spread over two court days in June.
It was the first appearance of a member of the royal family at the bar since that of the future Edward VII, in 1891, for a libel trial.
“Phone hacking was practiced on an industrial scale by at least three newspapers at the time, and there is no doubt about it,” the Duke of Sussex accused on June 7, on the second day of his testimony.
Prince Harry feels a tenacious resentment towards the tabloid press, which he holds responsible for the death of his mother Diana, chased by paparazzi in Paris, in 1997.
He also accuses him of what he describes as harassment against his wife Meghan and of having responsibility for the bad relations he has with his family.
Unreserved apologies
Harry sued the publisher of Daily Mirror and its Sunday editions and people for hacking voicemail boxes and illegal collection of information, in particular by using private detectives.
The group rejected the vast majority of the accusations, notably contesting any hacking of messaging services.
But he had admitted to some illicit procedures – for five of the 33 articles – notably the use of a private detective regarding a nightclub outing in 2004, and had apologized.
MGN welcomed Friday’s ruling, which gives it “the clarity it needs to move forward with facts that took place years ago.”
“Where wrongs have been committed, we apologize unreservedly and take full responsibility and pay appropriate compensation,” a spokesperson said.
The judge also found that there was “no doubt” that the editors-in-chief of the group’s titles knew that journalists were engaging in hacking practices, but that they had never informed the board of directors of this. administration or the general director.
The influential former editor-in-chief of Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, Piers Morgan defended himself to the press on Friday for having “never hacked a phone, nor asked anyone else to do it”.
In the range of proceedings Prince Harry has brought against the press, four days ago he was ordered to pay 48,000 pounds sterling (about $81,490) after losing a round in a libel case against the Mail on Sundayfor an article relating to his police protection when he went to the United Kingdom.