Prince Harryis back in court for a second day of cross-examination.
Prince Harry isgiving evidencesupporting his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). Hefiled the suitin 2019, alleging that his phone voicemails were hacked using unlawful information gathering. MGN, who is the publisher of theDaily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Daily Expressand more, denies the allegations.
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Harry said he believed that Mirror group “had Chelsy’s phone number at this time.” He added that Davy’s number was found in the phone of a “prolific hacker” and said he was “not entirely sure my girlfriend would have given Mirror Group her number.”
A 2006 piece reported that Prince Harry visited a Spearmint Rhino strip club, reportedly making Davy upset.
“My girlfriend’s number was bizarrely in the hands of Mirror journalists,” Harry said on the witness stand. “Very suspicious that they had her number […] I don’t believe she would give any journalist her number.”
When asked if he thought that MGN had gotten a hold of Davy’s phone records, Prince Harry answered “yes” but added that he believed “most of the evidence has been destroyed.”
Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand.Neil Mockford/GC Images
Neil Mockford/GC Images
Prince Harry also talked about a different article about a “make-or-break holiday” in Mozambique with Davy.
“Deeply concerned that would be published in advance,” Harry said. “Another classic example of a story ‘incentivizing’ reporters to go and find out as much as possible.”
Regarding a 2009 article about Prince Harry alleging trying to win Chelsy Davy back after a breakup, the Duke of Sussex was asked if he was aware that people close to Davy were talking about her to the media. Harry replied that he doubted that was happening.
When asked about a transcript of one of Davy’s friends speaking to the media, Prince Harry said he would “question the validity of this.” Harry claims that it was taken from “a false e-mail to hide the true nature of how [MGN] got the information.”
Prince Harry appeared more assertive in his testimony on the second day of questioning, confidently responding to Green’s questioning.
After answering questions from his own attorney and the judge, Mr. Justice Fancourt, Prince Harry left the witness stand. He remained in court and listened to journalist Jane Kerr’s evidence.
When he left the court, Prince Harry gave a thumbs up.
Prince Harry.Adrian DENNIS / AFP
Adrian DENNIS / AFP
Harry, who was first addressed in court as “the Duke of Sussex” and then subsequently as “Prince Harry,” said that “every single article has caused me distress,” claiming that the behavior of people around him changed due to the contents of the articles.
He added that tabloids have “blood on their hands” for the pain they’ve caused.
At one point, Green pointed to an article published in 2000 about Prince Harry going to a London gastropub, saying that there were other ways the newspaper might have learned about the outing other than via unlawful methods, such as a member of the public reporting the information.
Prince Harry said, “I do not believe that as a witness it’s my job to deconstruct the article or be able to answer which parts are unlawfully obtained and which aren’t. I think the journalist themselves should be doing that.”
Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand.James Veysey/Shutterstock
James Veysey/Shutterstock
Regarding a story about Prince Harry breaking his thumb while at school, the Duke of Sussex said in the witness statement that the “level of detail” in the story was “just surprising.” When Green asked him whose phone had been hacked to obtain the information, Harry suggested it had been the doctor’s phone before adding that he “can’t be sure.”
When Green said that Harry was now in the “realms of total speculation,” the prince replied, “I don’t believe so.” He added that the “journalist would hopefully be able to shed some light on how she got that information.”
After a lunch break, Green said a story about Prince Harry contracting glandular fever quoted a palace spokesperson and appeared in articles from other newspapers. “I see the similarities…but anything else would be speculation,” Harry said on the witness stand.
Green also questioned a story about Prince Harry being named a godfather to his former nanny’s child, as the news appeared inThe Sunday Timesa week before the article in question.
“Again, I see the similarities,” Harry said.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo.
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In his 55-page witness statement released Tuesday, Harry said that “tabloids would routinely publish articles about me that were often wrong but interspersed with snippets of truth, which I now think were most likely gleaned from voicemail interception and/or unlawful information gathering.”
“I genuinely feel that in every relationship that I’ve ever had — be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there’s always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press,” he said in the witness statement.
Among those named in the witness statement as people Harry regularly exchanged voice messages with were his brotherPrince William, his fatherKing Charles, his late motherPrincess Dianaand his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
King Charles' younger son made history when he took the stand against the newspaper group on Tuesday.
According toReuters, he became the first prominent member of the British royal family to give evidence in court in 130 years. The last royal to do so was King Edward VII, who testified as a witness in a divorce case in 1870 and again in a slander trial over a card game in 1890 before becoming King.
source: people.com
