Prince Harry accuses Mirror Group of illegal info gathering in court

In an ongoing legal battle, Prince Harry has attended the High Court, accusing Mirror Group Newspapers of illegally obtaining information for stories about him. Sky News provided a transcription of the Duke of Sussex’s statements and recreated his court appearance using an actor. Here are five key moments from Harry’s first day in court.

Questioning the source of information

Prince Harry was asked about an article discussing a thumb injury he had sustained. Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) lawyer, Andrew Green KC, questioned the duke about whether he believed the information for the story came from phone hacking or unlawful information gathering. The prince responded, “Both.” When asked which phone might have been intercepted, he said he “can’t be sure.” Green then asked, “Are we not, Prince Harry, in the realms of total speculation?”

Impact of articles on his life

Prince Harry confirmed that he might not have seen the content of every article included in his case but emphasized that “as a child, every single one of these articles played an important role, a destructive role in my growing up.” He added that “more than thousands, maybe millions of articles have been written about me since age 12.” The prince also noted that when stories shared only with close friends end up in the newspapers, “your circle of friends starts to shrink and diminish rather rapidly.”

Addressing the search for his whereabouts

Harry mentioned that photographers searching for him on holiday in Noosa, Australia, would have faced a “needle in haystack” situation, alleging that his location would have been discovered through unlawful activity. When the prince suggested that Green speak to the journalist who wrote the article instead of questioning him, Green replied, “I am here to cross-examine you, I am afraid that’s the way this works, Prince Harry.”

Describing the hunt for information as disturbing

The Duke of Sussex told the court that it is “deeply disturbing” that the search for information about him was “regarded as a hunt”. He added, “A lot of false information was put in these articles to throw people like myself off the scent.”

Expressing distress over the level of detail

Harry informed the court that reports of a pub lunch with friends “caused him distress” because he had hoped for a private birthday gathering, “and somehow a photographer found me”. When asked twice what he found distressing about the situation, the duke responded, “The level of detail, about myself, the relationship between myself and my girlfriend, my travel plans being broadcast to a huge audience.”