The Duke of Sussex Concludes Testimony in His Lawsuit against MGN on Wednesday Afternoon
In his legal battle against the
publisher of the Daily Mirror, the Duke of Sussex accused the press of
consistently deceiving him and concealing their own wrongdoing throughout his
entire life. The High Court heard his claims as he sought justice against Mirror
Group Newspapers (MGN) for alleged unlawful information gathering. After facing
nearly eight hours of questioning, Prince Harry stepped down from the witness
box on Wednesday afternoon.
This unprecedented court
appearance by a senior royal in over two decades was marked by a moment of
visible emotion towards the end of his testimony. When asked about his feelings
regarding the public courtroom and the global media attention, Harry took a
pause, clearly moved, and eventually responded, "Erm, it's a lot."
Following a few additional
inquiries from the judge, the duke let out a deep sigh before returning to his
legal team, ending his time in the witness box at around 2:30 pm in Court 15.
Prince Harry, aged 38, is suing MGN for damages, alleging that journalists from its publications, including the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, were involved in activities such as phone hacking, deceptive information gathering ("blagging"), and employing private investigators for unlawful purposes. He claims that approximately 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 by MGN titles were based on unlawfully obtained information. The trial will consider 33 selected articles as evidence.
Throughout his testimony, Prince
Harry consistently refuted the suggestions made by Andrew Green KC,
representing MGN that his allegations of unlawful information gathering were
mere "total speculation." Harry emphasized that there was solid
evidence supporting his case against the publisher.
Expressing his frustration, the
duke stated, "The terminology of entering the realm of total speculation
was used a few times by Mr. Green." He further added, "There is hard
evidence in my case. For my whole life, the press has misled me and covered up
the wrongdoing. To be sitting here in court, knowing that the defense has the
evidence in front of them, and Mr. Green suggesting I'm speculating, I'm not
entirely sure what to say."
Earlier in his testimony, Prince Harry informed the High Court in London that hacking his phone would have been an incredibly risky undertaking. In his written evidence, he highlighted the genuine security concerns that arose from the alleged hacking, not only for himself but also for everyone around him.
When questioned by Mr. Sherburne,
Prince Harry clarified that he believed individuals would have gone to great
lengths to conceal their actions if they had attempted to hack him. He stated,
"No, I believe they would have gone to extreme lengths to cover their tracks."
The duke also made mention of the
alleged destruction of evidence and the use of burner phones during his
testimony.
Shortly before leaving the
witness box, Mr. Justice Fan court, the presiding judge, posed additional
inquiries regarding the timeline of unusual activity in relation to Harry's
voicemails.
Harry responded, "From the
moment I had a mobile phone. It never stopped."
Earlier, Prince Harry expressed
his belief that phone hacking occurred on an "industrial scale" at
three newspapers during that time, stating it was beyond any doubt. He further
expressed his concern about a potential decision against him and other
claimants, considering that Mirror Group had admitted to hacking. He said,
"Yes, I would feel some injustice... if it wasn't accepted."
In response to a question from
Mr. Green, who asked if he wanted to have been phone hacked, the duke firmly
replied, "No one wants to have been phone hacked."
MGN is disputing Harry's claim
and has either denied or not admitted that the articles concerning him involved
phone hacking or unlawful activity.
At the beginning of Harry's
individual case, Mr. Green stated that there was simply no evidence supporting
the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a regular basis.
He also argued that the payment records presented in the duke's claim failed to
demonstrate unlawful conduct or knowledge thereof.
The trial, which began last
month, is expected to last six to seven weeks and includes three other
representative claimants: Michael Turner (known professionally as Michael Le
Vell), Nikki Sanderson (actress), and Fiona Wightman (comedian Paul
Whitehouse's ex-wife).
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