Prince Harry accuses tabloid media of "invasion" of his life during testimony before the High Court

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Prince Harry on his way to the courtroom

Photo: Hannah McKay / REUTERS

Prince Harry has made serious allegations against the British tabloid media in his eagerly awaited testimony in a British court. He suffered greatly from the articles, which often put him in a bad light and revealed the most intimate details of his private life, said the 38-year-old in front of the High Court in London. He accused some media outlets of having blood on his hands.

Together with other plaintiffs, the prince accuses the media group Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) of illegal information gathering. Among other things, the parent company of the tabloids "Daily Mirror", "Sunday Mirror" and "Sunday People" is said to have tapped into the prince's mobile phone. Harry is the first member of the British royal family in more than a hundred years to take the witness stand in a court case.

»Invasion of the Press«

For most of his life, and to this day, he has been the victim of a relentless "invasion of the press," Harry said. From birth, he had to deal with a hostile press. The latter had assigned a role to all members of the royal family: sometimes as a "playboy prince", then again as a "failure" or, as in his case, as an "imbecile", "underage drinker" or "irresponsible drug user". And the list goes on.

As a teenager and in his early 20s, he felt he had to confirm the "headlines and stereotypes" about him through his behavior, Harry said. He spoke of a "downward spiral" and added that it was "absolutely disgusting."

Cross-examined by MGN lawyer Andrew Green, Harry admitted that he could not remember whether he had read most of the articles he listed in his lawsuit at the time. In any case, however, they would have massively interfered with his privacy in their entirety. They had made him "extremely paranoid", ruined friendships and also his relationships.

Process could take weeks

The trial began just a few days after the coronation of Charles III a month ago, and is scheduled to last up to seven weeks. The highlight is Harry's statement. Most recently, from the ranks of the British royal family, the future King Edward VII took the witness stand in 1890 because of a libel suit. At the beginning of the proceedings, MGN acknowledged some evidence in the case against Harry and apologized. However, the media company categorically denies having intercepted voice messages.

For Harry, the process is also unlikely to be easy. On Monday, he was reprimanded by Judge Timothy Fancourt for failing to appear in his case. His lawyer, David Sherborne, defended the absence of his famous client. According to the report, the prince, who lives with his family in the United States, had celebrated the second birthday of his daughter Princess Lilibet and had therefore only flown from Los Angeles to the UK on Sunday evening.

Withdrawal from the royal family

Harry has long had a broken relationship with the tabloid media. The youngest son of King Charles III blames them, among other things, for the death of his mother Diana, who died in a traffic accident during a chase with photographers in Paris in 1997.

To this day, he and his wife Duchess Meghan say they are repeatedly confronted with re-enactments by the media. This was one of the reasons why the two withdrew from the front ranks of the British royal family in 2020 and relocated to California.

Harry has initiated several lawsuits against publishers with the aim of changing the way they report. The prince reaffirmed this goal on the witness stand on Tuesday. "How much more blood will stain her typing fingers before anyone can stop this madness," he said.

lmd/AFP