Prince Harry had a lot to say about the Royal Family when he released his tell-all memoir Spare and starred in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan with his wife. But amongst all the wild allegations made about King Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton and others, the Duke of Sussex also threw out plenty of opinions about the press. Harry has made no secret of his disdain for the media, and he recently returned to London for the trial against a British tabloid that the duke said “largely deprived” him of his youth.
Over the years Prince Harry has brought several lawsuits against publications, and The Independent reports (via Fox News) that he is among several famous faces in the case that accuses Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited of using illegal means to procure personal information about the celebrities. Through barrister David Sherbone, the Duke of Sussex alleged:
[Prince Harry is] troubled that, through Associated’s unlawful acts, he was largely deprived of important aspects of his teenage years. In particular, suspicion and paranoia was caused by Associated’s publication of the unlawful articles: friends were lost or cut off as a result and everyone became a ‘suspect’ since he was misled by the way that the articles were written into believing that those close to him were the source of this information being provided to Associated’s newspapers.
Phone-tapping is among the unlawful methods that Prince Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and others are accusing ANL of employing in order to obtain information about them. King Charles III’s younger son said he was led to believe that people close to him were selling him out, which caused him to end friendships over suspicions about who was betraying him.
It’s no surprise that Prince Harry would hold a negative impression of the press, given how his mother died. Princess Diana was killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris, when her driver was trying to flee the paparazzi. Harry has also said that his stepmother, Queen Consort Camilla, “sacrificed” him to the British press, giving up information in an attempt to rehabilitate her image. The Duke of Sussex’s statement in court even suggested a personal betrayal in ANL’s allegedly illegal actions, saying:
The claimant regards Associated’s unlawful acts to amount to a major betrayal given promises made by the media to improve its conduct following the tragic and untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
The prince’s return to London comes just a little over a month before his father King Charles III’s coronation. Royal watchers have been speculating whether or not Harry and Meghan Markle will attend the May 6 event, since it appears they have been invited. If they are present, it’s likely they’ll be required to refrain from any serious topics of conversation, and leaked procession plans seem to indicate the couple will not have a place in the king’s procession following the crowning, and they will not appear on the balcony with working members of the Royal Family.
The coronation will remain a big topic of interest over the next month, but in the meantime, Prince Harry’s Spare is available to purchase, and the Harry & Meghan docuseries can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.
