Prince Harry to Testify in Hacking Case Against Mirror Newspaper Group

Prince Harry is set to appear on the witness stand this week against the Mirror newspaper group for allegedly hacking his cellphone over a decade ago. As the first senior royal to be cross-examined in a legal case since the 19th century, this is a significant moment for the House of Windsor that the family is unlikely to welcome.

During the trial, embarrassing questions regarding his personal life before meeting his wife, Meghan, and his relationships with other members of the royal family could be raised. Since he and Meghan left Britain for the US and withdrew from royal duties in 2020, Harry has grown distant from his father Charles and elder brother William.

Historically, the royal family has preferred to settle legal claims rather than go through the scrutiny of a courtroom. However, Prince Harry has been on a campaign against the tabloid press for several years and holds the media responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He has filed lawsuits against the News Group, which publishes The Sun and The Times and the publisher of The Daily Mail. Additionally, Harry is suing Britain’s Home Office for removing his police protection.

In April 2020, Harry and Meghan penned a letter to the editors of four London tabloids, condemning their actions as irresponsible and unaccountable. They accused them of pulling people’s lives apart “for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue.”

The Mirror Group trial is focused on charges that the papers hacked Harry’s cellphone, along with those of his brother, aides, and a former girlfriend, throughout the early 2000s. Four plaintiffs, including two actors who appeared in the British TV series “Coronation Street,” seek damages.

The Mirror Group claims that Harry and the other plaintiffs waited too long to sue for acts that took place between 1991 and 2011. Still, the company admitted in 2014 that it had engaged in phone hacking and published a front-page apology to the victims of the practice the following February.

The trial could put a spotlight on Harry’s bachelor life before marriage. Among the bold-faced names it will resurrect is Chelsy Davy whom he once dated. According to legal filings, details obtained from intercepted voice mail messages from Davy resulted in intrusive articles, putting a strain on Harry’s relationship with her.

Harry’s testimony could also highlight Piers Morgan, former editor of The Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, the period in which it was accused of phone hacking. Morgan strongly denied hiring a hacker or commissioning articles based on hacking. He has become a critic of Harry and Meghan and has been quoted in the media calling Harry’s campaign against the media a “ruthlessly and cynically invading the royal family’s privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.”