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Prince Harry Ready to Open Up About Phone Hacking Lawsuit for the First Time in New Interview
Prince Harry is set to continue his crusade against illegal press tactics in Britain by finally addressing the lawsuit brought against the Mirror Group Newspapers for phone hacking in an interview scheduled to air on Thursday, July 25.
Harry, 39, will sit with ITV presenters to break down the details of the trial and offer the royal perspective on being hounded and harassed. He’ll finally open up to the public in depth about the lawsuit, which has plagued his family. The interview will air as part of a documentary, Tabloids on Trial, which will also feature a number of other A-list victims of the prying public eye, including Hugh Grant and Charlotte Church.
The documentary, “hears about his mission to continue his fight to expose the illegal tactics of Britain’s tabloid press and explores what those in charge at Fleet Street really knew as this scandal unfolded,” ITV said in a statement.
The scandal struck back in 2011 when a host of British celebrities were targeted by an alleged crime fit for a spy novel – top publications tapped phone lines and installed specialized devices on individual properties to capture stars’ private conversations.
“The case is not just about hacking. It is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior, followed by clever-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings.” Harry said in December 2023.
Motivated by the distressing violation of his privacy, the Duke of Sussex gave a lengthy, seven-hour testimony during a courtroom trial that began in July 2023. He acknowledged that, “Patience is, in fact, a virtue,” when it comes to justice.
“My commitment to seeing this case through is based on my belief in our need — and collective right — to a free and honest press,” Harry stated. “That is what we need in Britain and across the globe. Anything else is poisoning the well for a profession we all depend on.”
Justice Timothy Fancoult ultimately found “sufficient proof” that Mirror Group Newspapers “engaged in unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking.”
Mirror Group Newspapers denied any illegal activity took place at their papers, but the judge’s ruling in December pronounced the tapping of Harry’s phone was “widespread and habitual” at the Daily Mirror, a publication owned by the group, since at least 2003. Harry was awarded about $180,000 in damages.
“The journey to justice can be a slow and painful one,” Harry admitted after the trial’s conclusion. “Since bringing my claim almost five years ago, defamatory stories and intimidating tactics have been deployed against me and at my family’s expense.”
“I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned,” Harry waxed poetically, “but in light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press, it is a worthwhile price to pay.”
“The mission continues,” the prince added.
In a similar instance, Harry’s brother, Prince William, received a sizable sum from a settlement against News Group Newspapers for phone hacking in 2020.
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