In an interview on ITV, Prince Harry shared his thoughts on the “monumental victory” he achieved last year against a major British tabloid, expressing a sense of “vindication.” However, he believes that his ongoing battle against the press has been a “central piece” of the rift between him and the royal family.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the court case as part of the ITV documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” which aired on Thursday, Prince Harry detailed the proceedings after a High Court judge ruled in December 2023 that Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had unlawfully gathered personal information about him for published stories.
During the interview, Prince Harry described the invasive tactics used by tabloids, including voicemail interception, unlawful information gathering, and hiring private investigators to obtain credit card details and flight information about him and his love interests over the years.
In December of last year, Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 after the UK High Court determined that he was the victim of “extensive” phone hacking by MGN between 2006 and 2011. Justice Fancourt found that 15 stories published about Prince Harry by MGN involved unlawful information gathering methods such as hacking voicemail messages and employing private investigators.
Following the ruling, an MGN spokesperson expressed that the publisher welcomed the judgment, saying it provided the necessary clarity to move forward from events that occurred many years ago. According to PA Media, the spokesperson stated, “Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologize unreservedly, have taken full responsibility, and paid appropriate compensation.”
In the ITV documentary, Prince Harry likened the situation to a “David vs. Goliath battle,” describing the claimants as “the Davids” and the media enterprise as “the Goliath.” He shared these thoughts with ITV News correspondent Rebecca Barry.
Other celebrities, including Hugh Grant, also spoke about their legal battles against British tabloids in the documentary.
When asked about the extent to which his fight against the tabloids had affected his relationship with his family, Prince Harry acknowledged it was “certainly a central piece.” He noted, “But that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”
Despite feeling vindicated by the court’s decision against Mirror Group Newspapers, Prince Harry expressed a wish that his family had joined him in pursuing the legal battle. “It would be nice if we did it as a family,” he added.
