Prince Harry's witness statement highlighted numerous articles published by MGN's outlets, which he believes were obtained through voicemail interception or other illegal means. He specifically mentioned individuals with whom he frequently exchanged voice messages, including his brother Prince William, his father King Charles, his late mother Princess Diana, and his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
However, a mistake was noticed in the witness statement concerning his father's royal title. Prince Charles, who is currently the King following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, was incorrectly referred to as "HRH King Charles III." The correct title for Charles during the relevant period, which spans from 1996 to 2010, was "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales." It should be noted that upon Charles' accession to the throne, his title changed from "His Royal Highness" to "His Majesty."
In the witness statement, Prince Harry correctly referred to his brother Prince William as the "HRH The Prince of Wales," acknowledging his status as the heir to the throne after Queen Elizabeth's death and Charles' assumption of the title. During his testimony, Prince Harry emphasized that he personally wrote the entire witness statement, which spanned his life experiences.
Reflecting on his life, Prince Harry expressed his frustration with tabloid publications, which often published inaccurate articles mixed with fragments of truth. He strongly suspected that these publications obtained information through voicemail interception and other unlawful means. Prince Harry felt that throughout his life, the tabloid press intruded on his personal relationships with friends, girlfriends, family, and even during his time in the army. He viewed this intrusion as a breach of privacy and detrimental to his mental health.
Prince Harry also detailed peculiar phone activities in his witness statement, revealing instances where voicemails did not register as new messages on his phone. He explained that he only accessed his voicemail when a new message indicator appeared, but sometimes this indicator would vanish before he had the chance to listen to the voicemail.
Notably, Prince Harry did not attend court on Monday, as he had celebrated his daughter Princess Lilibet's second birthday with his wife Meghan Markle. His attorney, David Sherborne, informed the court that Harry was unable to provide evidence on that day due to his recent travel from California.
Mirror Group Newspapers faces over 100 lawsuits for alleged illegal activities spanning from 1991 to 2022. Prince Harry is among the four representative claimants whose cases have been selected for trial. The trial, which commenced on May 10, is anticipated to last for seven weeks.
