On Wednesday, The Mirror editor admitted to unlawfully collecting information about Harry in one instance and apologized. However, the publisher denied that its reporters hacked into Harry’s voicemails and said too much time had passed since the intrusions which should prevent the case from proceeding. Piers Morgan, the TV host who was editor of The Mirror for some of the years the trial involves, also denied wrongdoing.
Harry has two other lawsuits against UK tabloids linked to illicit news gathering: one is against the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, and involves other plaintiffs including singer Elton John and actresses Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley. The other lawsuit is against the publisher of The Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch. Both publishers deny the allegations and have asked that the cases be dismissed. A judgment is expected in the coming months.
What is Harry’s goal?
For the prince, it’s not just about money. Harry compared tabloid coverage of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to their treatment of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi. In his revealing memoir, ‘Spare’, published in January, Harry described the trauma caused to him by the intrusive media coverage of the tabloids.
Harry’s lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, alleges that in addition to phone hacking, the organization illegally obtained information such as his medical records. Actor Hugh Grant, who appeared in court in April, is also taking a separate legal action against The Sun for allegedly hiring private investigators to break into his house.
Is Prince William involved?
In a legal filing in April, Harry revealed that News Group Newspapers paid his brother, William, the heir to the throne, an “enormous sum of money” in 2020 to settle allegations that his reporters hacked into his cellphone. The payment was part of a ‘secret deal’ between the publisher and the royal family, in which the family would delay legal action against the company and spare the show from having to testify about embarrassing details of their intercepted voicemails , according to the file. .