Prince Harry testifies in court; Check the latest updates
During the trial of the Mirror Group hackers, the Duke of Sussex appeared as a witness. Prince Harry made history by becoming the first senior royal to testify in court since the 19th century.
Photo Reproduction / Sean Smith/The Guardian
On Tuesday (06), the prince harry attended at court in London to give evidence in a lawsuit against a newspaper. This event marks the first time in over a century that a member of the British royal family has testified in court. The deposition forms part of a lawsuit brought by Harry and over a hundred individuals against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of the tabloids "Daily Mirror", "Sunday Mirror" and "Sunday People". They accuse the newspapers of having carried out wiretaps to obtain private information between the years 1991 and 2011.
Testimonial
Harry arrived at the Rolls Building in central London, at 9:36 am in a black Range Rover, wearing a black suit. In his testimony, the member of the British royal family declared: "Since my birth, I have felt hostility from the press [...]. Some of the editors and journalists are responsible for causing great suffering, disturbance and, in some cases, even fatal consequences - perhaps inadvertently". Harry also mentions that your phone was hacked during your teens at Eton School. Furthermore, he expressed fears of being expelled from the school unit due to stories about clear drug use.
"Finding out the illegal methods of how information (for some) articles was obtained certainly shocked me," said Harry.
However, the Mirror's lawyer argued that some of the aforementioned stories were published before Harry acquired a mobile phone. In addition, the lawyer stated that some of these stories were already public knowledge or released by advisors, which means that they were not initiated through hacking activities.
Concluding his statement, Harry said that both the press and the UK government are in a sorry state.
Articles caused you “distress”
Still, according to his testimony, the prince mentioned that there were 50 articles of tabloids that, according to him, "caused him distress". Of these, thirty-three are relevant to this particular case. He was asked at length whether he had read the articles at the time and what the consequences were. Harry was asked if he had read an article mentioned in his affidavit, which was published in 1996, just after his 12th birthday. At that time, the prince stated that he was not sure. He was then asked if he had read said article for the first time in preparation for his appearance in court for today's civil case. The duke did not respond with conviction.
“If you don't recall reading the article at the time, how do you say this article caused you distress?” Green asked the prince.
Harry said: "I have experienced hostility from the press since I was born."
Green wondered whether the Prince's previous animosity towards the press traced back to his discovery of illegal methods. The prince confirmed. Green then questioned whether the disclosure of these illicit methods had further intensified his hostility towards them. Harry nodded.
Articles played a “destructive role”
During his childhood and adolescence, Prince Harry expressed that the numerous articles published about him had a detrimental effect. He acknowledged being exposed to many of these articles at that time, aware of the existence of many other writings about him. Despite this, Harry admitted to not being able to recall precisely which specific articles caused him distress.
"I can't speculate about what it was like 20 years ago," the prince declared in response to the question. Green requested that he explain his position. "While you may not have had specific knowledge of the content of the articles at that time, did the general impact of all press articles and all newspapers at that time affect you in this way?" asked Green. Harry agreed that that statement was accurate.
Phone hacking
Andrew Green questioned the Duke about the possibility of an article in the Daily Mirror, which described The young prince's reaction to his parents' divorce, containing suspicious phone hacking information. Published on September 16, 1996, under the title "Diana so sad on Harry's big day", according to the Prince's written testimony, the said article featured details about his mother's visit, to princess diana, to Ludgrove School on his 12th birthday, including information about the time she spent at school with him. Harry told the court that some of the details "looked incredibly suspicious".
However, Green questioned the Prince about the possibility that a member of the press, aware of the Prince's birthday, had visited the school on that specific date and obtained details of the Prince's visit. Wale's princess when witnessing their arrival and departure. "Are you implying that this sentence (in the article) suggests invasion of privacy through phone hacking?" Green asked Prince Harry. Harry didn't answer definitively. The said article also alleged that Harry was reacting "inappropriately" to his parents' divorce.
Article
In 2003, or The People published an article of major importance relating to Prince Harry, in which he clearly expressed concern about a possible invasion of privacy through wiretapping. In that article, the prince revealed a private disagreement between himself and his brother, Prince William, over how to deal with Paul Burrell, their late mother's former butler, who they both believed should stop divulging information about their private lives. for the press.
Photo Reproduction / Internet
The article mentions that Prince Harry referred to Burrell as a two-faced person and suggests that the journalists may have obtained this information by intercepting his voice mail.
"Our disagreement over how to handle the situation going forward was not something I wanted to be splashed around in the Defendant's newspapers, and I have no idea how the Defendant's journalists obtained the information contained in the article," said Harry.
"The article quotes a 'highly credible source' expressing my precise personal feelings. These sentiments include my strong opposition to any kind of meeting as I believe it would only benefit Burrell's pursuit of attention and personal interests. me for using the expression 'two-faced' as reported, and I believe that phrase may have been directly taken from a voicemail I left," he testified as a witness.
Harry
Harry, fifth in line to the throne, and his wife have an extremely tense relationship with the press. Among the reasons for leaving the UK, the couple mentioned the unbearable media pressure and racist attacks directed at the actress. Their deposition is in progress with no forecast for completion.
