Mr. Green stated that there were two incidents of phone hacking by News of the World involving voicemails of those close to Prince William. When asked if he recorded these articles, the Duke vaguely answered yes. Following the publication of these articles in News of the World, a police investigation focused on phone hacking of members of the royal family and those around them.
Mr. Green mentioned that there were no arrests of Mirror Group journalists, but he noted that the News of the World journalists were tested on the Spearmint Rhino. The Duke suggested that the Mirror paid someone at Spearmint Rhino for information on the story, pointing to three payments that were made. He also found it suspicious that the Mirror had Chelsea Davey's phone number, indicating that they might have obtained the story by analyzing her call data.
Prince Harry alleged that around 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained illegally gathered details, including through phone hacking. Speaking on GB News, Barrister Stephen Barrett acknowledged the difficulty faced by Harry's legal representatives, stating that they would defend their clients to the fullest extent but it appeared that Harry was throwing his lawyers under the bus.
Barrett clarified that Harry's case, being a civil case, operated differently from a criminal case, and rulings were often based on the balance of probability. He explained that in civil cases, the claimant must achieve a lower bar of proof compared to the higher bar of innocent until proven guilty in criminal courts.
It was noted that Harry's lawyers would not be giving evidence. During the trial, Harry mentioned having a chance meeting with his Barrister David Sherborne in France. Sherborne's previous clients have included Princess Diana, Sir Elton John, Michael Douglas, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Colleen Rooney during the Wagga for Christie trial.
Harry also stated that he discussed finding a way to address the abuse, intrusion, and hate coming toward him and his wife without relying on institutional methods. Andrew Green KC, representing MGN, asked Harry when he first sought advice from solicitors regarding a possible claim against MGN. Harry replied that he didn't go to them but instead bumped into Mr. Sherborne in France, as mentioned in his book.
