Prince Harry Appears In Court For The First Time In Phone Hacking Case
Prince Harry testified in this case on Tuesday, becoming the most senior British royal to do so in more than a century. He did so to claim that journalists for the Mirror Group Newspapers had engaged in illegal information collecting, including phone hacking.
The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex, who retired as a working royal and is now a resident of the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Archie and Lilibet, will allege that the deceitful tactics employed by the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had an effect on his personal life.
Dressed in a dark suit, he walked straight into the court, passing the pack of photographers and other media poised outside, the media reported.
He will claim that between 1996 and 2010, private detectives were used by the “Daily Mirror,” “Sunday Mirror,” and “Sunday People” to get specific information about his private affairs. These methods included phone hacking, so-called “blagging,” or obtaining information through trickery.
The claimants who are involved in the representative legal action, according to MGN, have brought their cases too late and deny the claims. This week, Prince Harry is anticipated to be cross-examined by their solicitors.
As the hearing got underway on Monday, the royal’s attorney revealed that “Mirror” journalists had listened to voicemails left by Princess Diana, Harry’s late mother.
“Nothing was sacrosanct or out of bounds and there was no protection from this unlawful information gathering,” David Sherborne told the court, alleging that the ups and downs of Harry’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy were among those gained via unlawful means.
According to court records, 33 of the 140 pieces that The Prince claims were published between 1996 and 2010 and contained information obtained illegally have been chosen to be used as evidence.
Harry’s absence from court at the beginning of the trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London had surprised Justice Timothy Fancourt, who is presiding over the case. However, he was informed that he had only arrived from Los Angeles on Sunday night because it was his daughter Princess Lilibet’s second birthday on June 4.
When the then-Prince of Wales was summoned to give evidence in a gambling case known as the Royal Baccarat Affair in 1891, it was the last time a senior royal appeared as a witness in an English High Court trial.
The future King Edward VII was called to testify in court at the time regarding a complex instance of card game cheating while the royal was there.
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