Prince Harry had a grueling seven hours of testimony over two days as part of the lawsuit he and three other plaintiffs have brought against three Mirror titles. Lawyers for the Mirror Group Newspapers questioned Harry’s lack of solid evidence that its journalists had hacked his phone. Nevertheless, Harry stood his ground and detailed the stress and anguish caused by the press intrusion into his personal life. Here are the key takeaways from the final day of Harry’s testimony.
‘Palace sources’ for Harry’s personal information were suspicious.
The tabloids repeatedly reported intimate details about Harry’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, attributing that information to “palace sources” or “friends.” On the stand, Harry confirmed that he and Ms. Davy had stopped sharing information about their relationship with others, including palace officials, and that he never discussed any details about his relationship with his former girlfriend with the palace officials.
Harry’s approach to taking on the tabloids has differed from the rest of the royal family.
Harry stated that he wanted to take a legal route to put a stop to the intrusion, abuse, and hate that he and his wife were receiving from the media. The palace, in contrast, took a different approach, including a secret settlement with News Group Newspapers, a Rupert Murdoch-owned British media group, related to phone hacking. Harry believes that the media have covered up their wrongdoing and misled about him, leading him to take a stand and fight his corner.
Jane Kerr, a former editor at the Mirror, also took the stand.
After Harry’s testimony concluded, his lawyer questioned Ms. Kerr about Mirror reporters’ news-gathering methods for scoops. Harry’s lawyer asked Ms. Kerr if she knew how many of the third parties she was working with to obtain data, including freelancers, investigators, and news agencies that got that information. She repeatedly said she did not know their methods and it didn’t occur to her that anything was unlawful.
Harry described consequences for his mental health.
The press intrusion into Harry and his wife Meghan’s lives significantly affected their mental health and well-being. The prince has to prove that journalists published information about him that they would only have been able to obtain through hacking or other unlawful means to win the case.
