Prince Harry has a made an extensive series of allegations about the British media as part of his legal case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
These are the most important revelations and insights from the prince’s written evidence to the high court, in which he describes alleged illegal behaviour by tabloids – and the crushing mental impact of press intrusion.
Rishi Sunak’s government at ‘rock bottom’
Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government, both of which I believe are at rock bottom.
“Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.”
‘Horrific personal attacks’ by Piers Morgan
The thought of [the former Daily Mirror editor] Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother’s private and sensitive messages … makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour.
“Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my Mirror Group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan … presumably in retaliation and in the hope that I will back down, before being able to hold him properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards both me and my mother during his editorship.”
Motivation for legal battle with British tabloids
Trolls react and mobilise to stories they create. People have died as a result, and people will continue to kill themselves by suicide when they can’t see any other way out. How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?
“There are now incredibly powerful media companies who masquerade as journalists and who have, quite literally, hijacked journalistic privileges for their own personal gain and agenda.
“They claim to hold public figures to account, but refuse to hold themselves accountable. If they’re supposedly policing society, who on earth is policing them, when even the government is scared of alienating them because position is power. It is incredibly worrying for the entire UK.”
The press’s characterisation of ‘thicko Prince Harry’
You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have. They then start to edge you towards playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible, especially if you are the ‘spare’ to the ‘heir’.
“You’re then either the ‘playboy prince’, the ‘failure’, the ‘drop out’ or, in my case, the ‘thicko’, the ‘cheat’, the ‘underage drinker’, the ‘irresponsible drug taker’, the list goes on.”
Being bullied at school after reports on a rugby injury
I was often singled out for being a ‘sicknote’ or a ‘pussy’ because articles like this made routine injuries seem like such a big deal.”
Hiding in a car boot to avoid photographers
I had just turned 20, and like most 20-year-olds, I wanted to go out and socialise. However, everywhere I went, the paparazzi seemed to turn up even though efforts were always being made to conceal where I was going.
“I had to walk out, hold my head high and just try to push past and get in the car. On rare occasions I even hid in the boot.”
Calling a former royal butler a ‘two-faced shit’
Both my brother and I had very strong feelings about how indiscreet Paul [Burrell] had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother’s possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her …
“I also would have used the phrase ‘two-face shit’, as is reported, and believe this could have been lifted directly from a voicemail I had left.”
Speculation about his real father
Numerous newspapers had reported a rumour that my biological father was James Hewitt, a man my mother had a relationship with after I was born …
“At the time, when I was 18 years old and had lost my mother just six years earlier, stories such as this felt very damaging and very real to me. They were hurtful, mean and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories.
“Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the royal family?”
How his relationship with former girlfriend Chelsy Davy was undermined by press intrusion
I was extremely guarded and took all possible steps to keep as much of my life private as possible, however it felt like I was under constant surveillance, hunted by the media.”
Article in the People about Davy asking him not to go to Iraq
How would anyone, even the friends that I was out with, know that Chelsy had called me exactly 12 times … With the benefit of hindsight, I think the defendant’s journalists must have obtained either mine or Chelsy’s call data, and listened to our private messages, to make the kind of comments in this article.”
Tell-tale signs of phone hacking on his voicemails
I remember on multiple occasions hearing a voicemail for the first time that wasn’t ‘new’, but I don’t remember thinking that it was particularly unusual – I would simply put it down to perhaps a technical glitch, as mobile phones were still relatively new back then, or even just having too many drinks the night before [and having forgotten that I’d listened to it].”
How tabloid coverage affected him
Whatever advantage people claimed I had by walking into a room as Prince Harry was immediately flipped on its head, because I was facing judgments and opinions based on what had been reported about me, true or not. I expected people to be thinking: ‘He’s obviously going to fail this test, because he’s a thicko.’”
