Prince Harry has attributed his ongoing legal battles with British tabloids as a significant factor in his estrangement from the royal family.
The revelation was made in an interview aired on Thursday.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, has engaged in numerous court cases against tabloid publishers, alleging illegal information gathering alongside other public figures. His intense resentment towards the media stems not only from their treatment of his wife, Meghan Markle, but also from their role in the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
In a landmark victory in 2023, Harry won a ruling against MGN, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, for phone hacking. Speaking in the new ITV documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” he said, “To have the judge rule in our favour was obviously huge. But for him to go as far as he did… this wasn’t just the fault of individual people. This went right up to the top. This was lawyers, this was high executives.”
Harry, who made a surprise court appearance, was awarded over £140,000 ($180,000) in damages and reached a financial settlement on remaining claims against MGN. He has a similar lawsuit pending against NGN, the publisher of The Sun, which has denied the allegations. The trial is scheduled for next year.
Despite his victory, Harry has dropped libel claims against the Mail on Sunday regarding their reporting on his police protection.
Reflecting on his mother’s experiences with the press, Harry stated, “She wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right about what was happening to her. She’s not around today to find out the truth.”
The prince lamented the lack of support from his family in his mission against the tabloids, stating, “It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. I believe that from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. For me, the mission continues.”
Since moving to North America in 2020 and stepping back from royal duties, Harry’s relationship with his family, especially his brother William and father King Charles III, has been fraught with tension. This rift widened with the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary in late 2022 and his memoir “Spare” published in 2023.
The documentary also features other high-profile figures who have taken legal action against tabloids. British actor Hugh Grant described invasive tactics used against him, such as placing microphones in his windows and dropping mics and trackers into his car. Grant, who recently settled with NGN to avoid a hefty legal bill, remains “bitter and determined to exact justice on the executives who commissioned this stuff.”
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also appears in the documentary, accusing NGN of illegally accessing his personal information, including bank accounts and bills, during his tenure as finance minister and prime minister. Brown called for new investigations into these actions.
