He asserted that he was barred from bringing a case against The Sun and other newspapers owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch because of a "secret agreement" - allegedly approved of by Queen Elizabeth II - that called for reaching a private settlement and getting an apology. In a stunning revelation in a related case last month that dredged up an embarrassing chapter in his father's life, Harry blamed his delay in bringing suit, in part, on his family. His lawsuits could further roil family relations that have been strained since Harry and his wife, Meghan, left royal life in 2020 and moved to California after complaining about racist attitudes from the British press. She died in a car wreck in Paris in 1997 while trying to evade paparazzi. The prince has waged a war of words and torts against British newspapers in legal claims and in his best-selling memoir "Spare," vowing to make his life's mission reforming the media that he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. ![]() It won't be his first time in the High Court, following his surprise appearance last month to observe most of a four-day hearing in one of his other lawsuits. Harry is expected to testify in person in June, his lawyer has said. The case, the first of the duke's three phone hacking lawsuits to go to trial, threatens to do something he said his family long feared: put a royal on the witness stand to discuss embarrassing revelations. The company said its apology wasn't a tactical move to reduce damages, but was done "because such conduct should never have occurred." "MGN unreservedly apologizes for all such instances of UIG, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated," the court papers said. Royal Dispatch newsletter: Sign up for exclusive insights on the monarchyīut in court papers outlining its defence, the publisher acknowledged "some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of UIG (unlawful information gathering)." It said that the activity "warrants compensation" but didn't spell out what form that might take.Publisher Mirror Group Newspapers denied that it hacked phones to intercept voicemail messages of Harry and the three others and it said they had brought their claims well past a six-year time limit. It evolved from a low-tech hack of punching in default passwords in the early days of voicemail to using deception to gain medical records, tapping phones and bugging homes. The allegations go back to a scandal that erupted over journalists and private eyes who intercepted voicemails for scoops on members of the Royal Family, politicians, athletes, celebrities and even crime victims. Morgan has publicly denied involvement in phone hacking. Sherborne said that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan was aware of the hacking and even participated. ![]() Invoices and phone records - some so old they came from obsolete Palm Pilots - showed how the news, entertainment, sports and photo departments relied on investigators plying unscrupulous tactics. "But worse, this flood was being approved by senior executives, managing editors and members of the board." "It was a flood of illegality," Sherborne said. The prince wasn't in court as his attorney, David Sherborne, began his opening statement, saying unlawful acts were "widespread and habitual" by reporters and editors at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People. Nightly Briefing newsletter: Sign up for coverage of the day’s most compelling news.He and three others, including two soap opera actors, are suing Mirror Group Newspapers for alleged misuse of private information between 19. ![]() ![]() The seven-week trial that opened in London is Harry's biggest test yet in his legal battle against the British media. Since the story in question wasn't one of the nearly 150 that Harry alleges resulted from skulduggery, the disclosure may have little bearing on the verdict. The admission that the publisher employed a private investigator for a 2004 article headlined "Sex on the beach with Harry" may only give the Duke of Sussex a taste of satisfaction, though. The British publisher of the Daily Mirror apologized for one instance of snooping on Prince Harry but denied his other claims Wednesday, as a trial for one of Harry's phone hacking lawsuits began with the prince's lawyer accusing the newspaper of unlawfully gathering information on "an industrial scale."
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