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Prince Harry Condemns the ‘Vile’ Behavior of Tabloids in His Phone-Hacking Trial

Justin Ray
·2 min read

Prince Harry had harsh words for the press as he took the stand on Tuesday in an ongoing lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which he accuses of using illegal techniques such as phone hacking to gain information about his life.

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex told London’s High Court, “How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?” according to NPR. Harry goes on to say the tabloids’ “vile” behavior caused him to experience a “downward spiral” and the actions of editors and journalists had fatal consequences, a thinly veiled reference to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.

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Harry is the first senior member of the British royal family to testify in court since the 19th century, NPR reports. Due to phone encryption and shrinking ad sales, the era of press phone-hacking has largely ceased, according the publication. However, there has yet to be public accountability for the reportedly intrusive behavior by the journalists involved, which is the apparent goal of the lawsuit. MGN contests the Duke of Sussex’s claims, saying the allegations are lacking evidence or have been brought about too late, CNN reports.

Harry also made comments about Piers Morgan, who worked as editor of The Daily Mirror, one of the publications owned by News Group, for nearly a decade, according to Deadline. “The thought of Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother’s private and sensitive messages (in the same way as they have me) and then having given her a ‘nightmare time’ three months prior to her death in Paris, makes me feel physically sick makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr. Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behavior,” the duke said.

“Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my Mirror Group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan,” Harry continued. He explained that TV host’s actions were done in an effort to make Harry “back down.” Morgan has denied any knowledge of the phone hacking, Deadline reports.

Harry is involved similar lawsuits against two other British publications: Rupert Murdoch–owned News Group Newspapers, which he accuses of engaging in illegal phone hacking, among other practices, to get information for articles; and the publisher of Daily Mail, which the duke also claims used unlawful activities to gather story details, according to The New York Times. Both organizations have denied these allegations.

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