Prince Harry fought back tears as he told London’s High Court on Wednesday, Jan 21, that the Daily Mail had made his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery” while he gave evidence in a privacy lawsuit against the newspaper’s publisher.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, is among seven claimants, including singer Elton John, suing Associated Newspapers over alleged privacy violations spanning from the early 1990s to the 2010s. Associated publishes the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The publisher has denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous smears” and insisting its journalists relied on lawful methods and legitimate sources, including friends and acquaintances of the celebrities involved.
Harry, who became the first senior royal in 130 years to testify in court during a separate press case in 2023, gave combative evidence under questioning by Associated’s lawyer Antony White. However, he became emotional when discussing the impact of the case, saying his treatment by the publisher had only worsened since he filed the lawsuit in 2022.
“I think it is fundamentally wrong to have to put all of us through this again when all we were asking for was an apology and some accountability,” he said.
Describing the experience as “horrible”, Harry added that by taking a stand against the publisher, he continued to face further attacks. Choking up, he said the media coverage had made Meghan’s life “an absolute misery”.
In a later exchange with his lawyer, David Sherborne, Harry described reading Associated’s defence as a “recurring traumatic experience”, saying it was distressing to see claims that he had no right to privacy.
Earlier in his testimony, Harry rejected suggestions that journalists from the Mail were part of his social circle or that he leaked information through friends.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not friends with any of these journalists and I never have been,” he said.
The case centres on 14 articles that Harry’s legal team alleges were produced through unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking, bugging and deception. Associated disputes these claims, saying the information was obtained legitimately.
Harry questioned why private investigators linked to unlawful practices were used if journalists had genuine access to his social circle. He added that while he tried to maintain civility with reporters, he felt his private life had been repeatedly commercialised.
The lawsuit was launched in 2022, bringing Associated Newspapers into the wider phone-hacking scandal that has long surrounded Britain’s tabloid press.
Other claimants include David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence and former lawmaker Simon Hughes. Hurley is expected to testify on Thursday.
Harry has frequently blamed media intrusion for contributing to the circumstances surrounding the 1997 death of his mother, Princess Diana. Last year, he received an apology from Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper group in a separate case.
In his witness statement, Harry said pursuing the lawsuit was a public duty, warning that if powerful media organisations were able to evade justice, it would have serious consequences for society.
“When you’re up against such a behemoth and intimidating media organisation, the courts are your last and only hope,” he said.
