From the royal palace to the court: No matter how much Prince Harry tries to disconnect from his family and life in the UK, he continues to find himself battling demons of the past, this time leading him to court.
Harry outside the courthouse, photo: EPA
On Tuesday, the 38-year-old prince appeared in Britain's Supreme Court, where the lawsuit he filed against the publishers of the British Daily Mail is currently underway, accusing him of gross invasion of his privacy, which he claims included hacking into his personal phone, using private investigators, eavesdropping and other illegal acts that have caused him much chaos and suffering in his life for as long as he can remember.
Harry is the first royal to testify in court in 132 years, and is true to the image of the wayward prince. Once again, he started off on the left foot when he came to testify a day late after being delayed in Los Angeles celebrating his daughter Lilibet's birthday.
Harry and Meghan, Photo: AP.
"I believe with all my heart that in every relationship I've had, whether it's friends, family, spouses or soldiers who served alongside me in the military, there has always been a third person involved: the tabloids," Harry said in his testimony in court. "They've watched me since I was born and criticized every move of my life. The tabloids knew about my mental difficulties and struggles in my childhood and adult life, and the fact that they used it for their own benefit is, in my view, a criminal act."
As part of his testimony, Harry laid out a series of allegations in court against MGN Media Group, publisher of the British tabloids Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, including rumours that he was the son of James Hewitt, a senior British Army officer with whom his late mother, Princess Diana, allegedly had an affair, and the betrayal he felt from Paul Borrell, Diana's personal assistant, whom he called "duplicitous."
Prince Harry outside court, Photo: AFP
Harry claimed in the lawsuit that 140 media items published in the publisher's tabloids between 1996 and 2010 (of which 33 were approved for display at hearings) were obtained through illegal means, including eavesdropping on his phones and voice messages, and stressed that the lawsuit stemmed from his desire to "save the journalism profession."
In his written testimony, which was also presented during the hearing, Harry accused the tabloids of redirecting the royals to certain roles and creating an alternate and distorted reality of his personality. "They are urging you to play the role that best serves them and will sell the most newspapers, especially when you are the reserve to the crown prince," he said. "It's either you're the playboy prince, the failure, the one who failed, or in my case the one who is less smart, a traitor and an irresponsible drunk," he continued, describing the image he said they created for him in the tabloids.
Prince Harry, Photo: Reuters
During his testimony, he said that his ex-girlfriend Chelsea Davy broke up with him after a relationship of nearly seven years when she realized she could not bear life in the royal family, adding that he was also guilty of problematic conduct in his relationship with her that led him to flirt with other women when they were still in a relationship, admitting that he was not mature enough and regretting the stupid way he chose to conduct himself at the time. He added that the media has always sabotaged his relationships and continues to do so today in his marriage to Meghan Markle.
Harry went on to claim that the information obtained by the media came through illegal methods that were hidden from him and everyone and shocked him, and that they not only caused concern about the personal safety of the royals but also created a strong sense of complete distrust of people. "I couldn't trust anyone," he said. "It was terrible, certainly at such a young age."
Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry, Photo: AFP
In his testimony, Harry also referred to the kissing disease he contracted in 2002 and claimed that no one outside of his close family circle was in on the secret about the disease, yet the news found its way into the tabloids and he became the object of ridicule and bullying at his school, which led to everyone distancing themselves from him and causing him great unhappiness.
He added that he believed the state of the British press and government as portrayed in the international media today was at an unprecedented low and described the media as "the mothership of online trolling".
Prince William (left), Prince Harry and Meghan at Queen Elizabeth's funeral, Photo: Reuters
"Democracy fails when the press fails to criticize and hold the government accountable, and instead chooses to go to bed with it to maintain the status quo," he said, adding: "I may not have an official role in the royal family, but as a member of the British royal family and a soldier who upholds high values, I feel compelled to expose the criminal conduct in the name of the public interest," he declared, with defense lawyer Andrew Green insisting on undermining his credibility, saying his claims were based on speculation that he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt. When Harry does admit at certain moments that he is unsure or remembers details. "There is no evidence to support the finding that every mobile phone owned or used by the Duke of Sussex was hacked," Green told the judge.
Harry is expected to return to court on Wednesday to continue his testimony.
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