In court filings, Harry alleged that Morgan subjected him and his wife Meghan Markle to a storm of horrifying intimidation and personal assaults.
The Duke went on to say that this was a result of his mirror group claim and was likely done in retaliation and in the hope that he will back down before being able to hold Morgan properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards both him and his mother during his editorship.
According to the Duke, near his London home this morning, Morgan, who served as editor of the Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004 and has always refuted allegations of phone hacking, was contacted for comment.
"The logical course of action," he said to ITN, "is for everyone to wait for everything to be finished before speaking. I've never been known for keeping quiet, and I have a feeling that I won't after it's all done," he added. "But I would be remiss if I made a comment while everything was still going on, and I'm sure you can see why. Despite the fact that I have plainly ideas, I am unable to discuss the matter until everything has been resolved. I'm certain that I am unable to speak till this is ended, as you can undoubtedly understand. I would really like to, but uncharacteristically, I'm going to keep quiet until everything is finished."
When Morgan left his house yesterday afternoon, Sky News also questioned him on Harry's allegations. "I didn't see anything, but I wish him success with his privacy crusade and am looking forward to reading about it in his next book," Morgan replied sarcastically. After declaring that he did not agree with Meghan Markle's assertion in this explosive interview she and Prince Harry gave to Oprah Winfrey, Morgan quit Good Morning Britain in March 2021.
Since he filed a lawsuit against the editor of the Mirror newspaper, the Duke claimed Morgan had been bullying him and his wife. In his testimony yesterday in court, Harry stated, "Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my mirror group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation by Piers Morgan, who was the editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004." Presumably in retaliation and in the hope that I will back down before being able to hold him properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards me and my mother during his editorship.
Additionally, the court was informed yesterday that in his book, "The Insider," Morgan made reference to reading rumors regarding encounters between Michael Barrymore and Harry's late mother, Princess Diana. According to David Sherburne, Harry's attorney, Morgan heard this because writers for the Mirror would have been privy to private messages.
Additionally, he said that a letter written by Diana to Barrymore in June 1997, just two months before her tragic passing, demonstrates the impact of these activities. In a letter to Barrymore, Diana reportedly wrote, "I have had a nightmare time with the tabloids," and added, "I have not heard from him. I hope his silence is good news," the lawyer said. "Mr. Barrymore is so terrified that he avoids speaking to Princess Diana, and this is the isolation that this behavior generates."
In his testimony, the Duke stated that he was shocked, disgusted, and appalled after seeing the three handwritten letters Diana wrote to Barrymore. They are dated 23 March, 25 April, and 2nd June 1997, consecutively, and communicate my mother's worries for Mr. Barrymore's well-being, as well as compassionately providing him a shoulder to weep on, he added.
Barrymore was struggling at the time, the court was told, due to things including receiving treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. Diana and Barrymore met in private, the court heard. Harry said in his written testimony that it was safe to presume that his mother and Mr. Barrymore would have been exchanging voicemails on their private encounters.
Harry stated, "The idea that Piers Morgan and his gang of journalists eavesdropped on my mother's private and sensitive messages in the same way they have me and then gave her a nightmare time three months prior to her death in Paris makes me physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr. Morgan, accountable for their vile and completely unjustified behavior."
In a prior statement, Morgan denied phone hacking and said he would not listen to advice on privacy invasion from someone who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the Royal Family's privacy for vast commercial gain.
"How can Harry expect privacy after his book and interviews and anything else they've done recently? If they had gone to Canada and stayed there for the quiet life they said they wanted, then fair play. But they have done nothing but court and media and dish out the dirt. That's not really the way to go if privacy is your thing."
However, reportedly, Harry was kicked out of Canada. The prime minister refused to pay another cent for his security, and Harry filed lawsuits against photographers in Canada as well. If he can't bully his way into something he wants, he sues for it.
Piers Morgan had a good look at Harry. He sees it as it is. Piers knows very well where the borderline is as regards reporting and questions when he's interviewing. It could be argued that Harry wants to curtail free speech, perhaps best illustrated by his assertion that the first amendment is bonkers. It could also be argued that the real motive lurking behind his actions is to prevent all the adverse publicity he and the missus now generate, so that they can go about their at times very questionable business free of accountability or criticism.
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely.
The prince has always wanted to continually use his royal background for public awareness on many great causes. But just because someone has a public profile, should they really accept all their private moments and experiences be leaked by the press, just so we can all sit and judge behind a screen and in the privacy of our own homes?
No. Every person has a right to release information about themselves. We all get to decide what we do and don't want to share with others. We do it every day on Facebook or just share what we want to share at work with our colleagues. I am reading the book now, and Harry is relating his experiences that have already been published in the press by anonymous sources.
