Prince Harry vs tabloids: Why the UK royal is heading to court

Prince Harry vs tabloids: Why the UK royal is heading to court



Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has found himself at the center of several high-profile legal battles with tabloid newspapers in the recent years. Ever since his marriage to Meghan Markle, these battles have intensified, highlighting a fundamental clash between the right to privacy and the freedom of the press.
Earlier this month, Harry became the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand.

The last time a royal gave evidence in court was in the 1890s when the future kingEdward VII took the stand in a slander trial.

What is the legal battle about?

The Duke of Sussex, as he is also known, has launched legal action against several tabloid media groups, alongside barrages of attacks aimed at his family and the monarchy.
The Duke of Sussex is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centered around battles with British tabloids. One of the key legal battles Prince Harry has fought against tabloids revolves around the phone hacking scandal.
Prince Harry initiated legal action against the Daily Mirror and The Sun, accusing them of phone hacking and the unlawful interception of voicemail messages.

What has Prince Harry claimed?
In a lengthy written witness statement, the prince said media intrusion had blighted his life while claiming the state of both the press and government were “at rock bottom”. In the witness box and after swearing an oath on the Bible, Harry argued he had been the victim of relentless and distressing media intrusion virtually his entire life.
Harry described a sense of being besieged by the media during a trip to Argentina when “very aggressive paparazzi” surrounded the ranch where he was staying and local police said the only way to get rid of them would be to pay them off. He said it became clear that it would be difficult to leave without being “chased or swarmed by these individuals”.

What is the current trial about?
Prince Harry had filed a legal case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, as part of the wider phone hacking scandal in the British tabloid industry. The case involved allegations of phone hacking and the unlawful interception of voicemail messages.
Prince Harry’s legal action against MGN was related to the claim that the Daily Mirror, along with other tabloids, had illegally accessed his voicemail messages. This lawsuit was part of a larger effort by numerous individuals, including celebrities, to seek justice and compensation for privacy intrusions caused by phone hacking practices.
Mirror Group has acknowledged instances when its newspapers unlawfully gathered information. It apologized in court papers and said Harry and two of the other three claimants in the case were due compensation.
Harry said the tabloid publishers invaded his privacy by eavesdropping on voicemails and hiring private investigators to report on the smallest details of his life, causing him great emotional turmoil.
In past cases, Meghan won an invasion of privacy case in 2021 against the Mail on Sunday for printing a private letter she wrote to her father. That led to a 1-pound settlement for violating her privacy and an undisclosed sum for copyright infringement.
(With inputs from AP)





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