Prince Harry accuses tabloids of hacking his voicemails and being destructive.

Prince Harry Takes on Tabloid Publisher in Court

“All of these articles played an important role – a destructive role – in my growing up,” Harry said.

Prince Harry made an appearance in a UK courtroom on Tuesday, testifying against a tabloid publisher he accused of hacking his phone and playing a “destructive role” in his early life. The fifth-in-line to the throne arrived at London’s High Court in a black SUV, passing TV cameras and stepping into the building to testify that UK publisher the Daily Mirror engaged in unlawful techniques to get scoops on the British royal family.

Unlawful Techniques Used on an “Industrial Scale”

Harry alleges that the outlet used such techniques on an “industrial scale” to obtain private information through phone hacking and other illicit means, such as hiring private investigators between 1991 and 2011. He further alleges that around 140 articles published in titles belonging to Mirror Group contained information gathered using unlawful methods. Thirty-three of those articles were selected to be considered at the trial.

In a written witness statement released at the same time he entered the court, Harry claimed his answering machine messages were hacked when he was a teenager at Eton school. “My voicemails would include incredibly private and sensitive information about my relationships,” Harry said, noting the media and tabloid outlets made him become paranoid and feel as if he couldn’t trust anyone.

Former Daily Mirror Editor Piers Morgan Named in Witness Statement

Harry also hit at former Daily Mirror editor turned TV host Piers Morgan, naming the media figure three times in his witness statement. He wrote, “both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan,” who was editor from 1995 to 2004.

The Mirror Group has paid more than 100 million pounds ($125 million) to settle hundreds of unlawful information-gathering claims and printed an apology to phone hacking victims in 2015. Judges are tasked with deciding whether Harry’s claims will proceed to trial. The trial began on May 10 and is expected to last seven weeks.

Separate Legal Dispute in the US

In a separate legal dispute across the pond, Harry’s US visa status is also being questioned in a federal district court in the District of Columbia after he admitted in his recent memoir Spare to using marijuana, cocaine, and psychedelic mushrooms. The admission is significant because past drug use may be considered grounds to deny a US visa application, according to a lawsuit brought by the Heritage Foundation, one of the top conservative think tanks based in the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit argues that “widespread and continuous” media coverage of the duke’s admitted drug use calls into question if the government properly vetted him and followed proper procedures when he was admitted into the country.

The Department of Homeland Security contends in court filings that the Heritage Foundation hasn’t demonstrated a need for the swift release of his documents. The Heritage Foundation previously sought the records through US Customs and Border Protection but were denied, saying it needed Harry to consent to his information being released.

Regarding stories about drug use in the UK, a defense attorney asked whether Harry thought articles about him “breaking the law” were a matter of public interest. “There’s a difference between public interest and what interests the public,” Harry responded.

Harry, his wife, and their son Archie left the UK in 2020 after “stepping back” from life as working royals and settled in Santa Barbara, California. It’s not clear what type of visa Harry is on, and Markle is a US citizen.

A hearing on the matter is slated for 2:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday in the District of Columbia.

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