Presently, Prince Harry is embroiled in legal battles against three separate UK publishers: Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which owns the Daily Mail; News Group Newspapers (NGN), which owns The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World; and Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). It is worth noting that NGN shares the same parent company as News Corp Australia, the publisher of this particular masthead.
Elser highlights a specific phrase that exposes the irony of Prince Harry's stance. During the court proceedings, Harry's attorney claimed that the rift between the Duke and his brother, Prince William, can be traced back to 2003 when the siblings disagreed over meeting their late mother's former butler, Paul Burrell. "Even at this very early formative stage, the seeds of discord between these two brothers are starting to be sown," stated Harry's attorney, Sherborne. "Brothers can sometimes disagree, but once it is made public in this way and their inside feelings revealed in the way that they are, trust begins to be eroded."
Elser points out that while disagreements between siblings are not uncommon, it is highly unusual for one brother to pen a 400-plus page tell-all memoir that portrays the other brother as the villain of the story, referencing Harry's upcoming book, "Spare." She adds, "Most brothers don't repeatedly expose their family's privacy in pursuit of financial gain. Most brothers don't create a multi-part TV series about their family feuds or give interviews where they label their stepmother as 'dangerous' and accuse her of leaving 'bodies in the street' on her journey to becoming Queen."
Elser argues that in blaming the media for eroding trust between himself and his family, Prince Harry fails to acknowledge that he himself has accepted millions of dollars to breach the trust within his own family circle.
This latest episode has brought Prince Harry's credibility into question, as critics argue that his actions contradict the principles he claims to champion. With accusations of hypocrisy surfacing, it remains to be seen how this controversy will impact the public's perception of the Duke of Sussex.
