The Duke of Sussex alleges that his phone was hacked and various illicit methods were employed to obtain personal information about him. MGN, on the other hand, disputes these allegations, arguing that Harry's claims lack evidence or have been raised too late.
This rare sight of a senior British royal in the witness box has brought significant attention to the long-standing feud between Prince Harry and the tabloid press. During the proceedings, Andrew Green, the barrister representing MGN, has focused on the articles that Harry claims caused him distress. However, Harry has had difficulty recalling the specific details of when he first read each article or the exact emotional impact they had on him.
Green questioned Harry about his recollection of reading the article shortly after his 12th birthday or whether he had only read it in preparation for the court appearance. Harry's inability to recall the precise timing raised doubts about the distress caused by the article. This line of questioning continued with Green asking how Harry could claim distress if he had no recollection of reading it at the time.
In response, Harry attempted to associate the journalists with his overall reply, asserting that the "thousands" of articles written about him collectively had a destructive impact on his childhood and adolescence. He argued that these articles played a detrimental role in his life, despite not specifically remembering individual instances.
Green also probed whether the articles that allegedly caused distress contained information that could only have been obtained through illicit means such as phone hacking, or if the information was publicly available. Harry stated that several details in the articles seemed suspicious to him.
However, Green countered that much of the information had been disclosed publicly in advance, sometimes through Buckingham Palace spokespersons or reporters attending public events. Green emphasized that such reporting should not be considered suspicious.
When questioned about how the journalists obtained the information, Harry deflected by suggesting Green should inquire directly with the journalists themselves.
It is worth noting that in March, Harry appeared in court against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) in a separate case involving allegations of unlawful information gathering, which ANL denies.
