Prince Harry accuses Palace of withholding info on phone-tapping allegations
Global News
The case alleges Associated Newspapers engaged in unlawful acts that included hiring private investigators to bug homes and cars and record private phone conversations.
Prince Harry, one of several high-profile celebrities suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. in the U.K., has filed a witness statement claiming the Royal Family excluded him from conversations about allegations of phone tapping and other privacy violations.
The Duke of Sussex, who was present in court both Monday and Tuesday this week, said the restricted information from the Palace caused him paranoia and put a strain on his personal relationships.
Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the prince’s allegations.
Prince Harry, alongside singer Elton John, actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost and others, are suing Associated Newspapers over claims their personal information was illegally obtained by the company and published in numerous Daily Mail stories.
The case alleges Associated Newspapers, which publishes titles including the Daily Mail, commissioned the “breaking and entry into private property,” engaging in unlawful acts that included hiring private investigators to bug homes and cars and record private phone conversations. The lawsuit also alleges Associated Newspapers hacked private voicemail systems and obtained personal credit card statements.
Associated Newspapers has denied all wrongdoing. The company called the allegations “preposterous smears.”
Prince Harry, 38, claimed he was only made aware of allegations against Associated Newspapers in 2018 after he sought legal counsel beyond the Royal Family. He argued the Royal Family and their advisory staff had “without a doubt” kept him in the dark.
“Following the death of my mother in 1997 when I was 12 years old and her treatment at the hands of the press, I have always had an uneasy relationship with the press,” Prince Harry wrote in his witness statement.