Prince Harry court case – live: Duke says phone hacking case is for Meghan as he fights back tears

Prince Harry fought back tears while addressing the strain of media intrusion, as he ended his historic High Court testimony in the phone hacking case he said he had launched to protect his wife Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex is among a host of celebrities seeking to sue Mirror Group Newspapers for damages, claiming journalists at its titles were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

In more than seven hours of cross-examination by MGN’s barrister, Harry accused former Mirror editor Piers Morgan of “horrific personal attacks and intimidation”, and suggested newspaper stories claiming his father was Princess Diana’s former lover were aimed at ousting him from the royal family.

As subsequent questioning by his own lawyer began, the duke defended the lack of any call data between himself and MGN journalists, claiming they may have used “burner phones” to access his voicemails.

The duke has remained in court as The Mirror’s former royal editor Jane Kerr is questioned by his lawyer.

Key Points

• Duke of Sussex remains in court to watch his lawyer grill Mirror journalist

• Prince Harry says he launched phone hacking cases to protect wife Meghan

• Duke fights back tears as he describes strain of press intrusion

• Key moments from the second day of duke’s stand in witness box

• Harry defends lack of any call data between his phone and Mirror journalists

• What happened in first day of Harry’s appearance at the High Court?

Harry urged to provide ‘hard evidence’ to back phone hacking claims

20:07 , Sam Rkaina

Prince Harry was repeatedly asked to provide “hard evidence” to support his newspaper phone hacking claims on Wednesday, as he told the High Court he brought the case to protect his wife Meghan from abuse.

Despite his suspicions of widespread hacking, the Duke of Sussex said he “didn’t know” the answer to questions put to him by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) lawyer Andrew Green KC 18 times in just three hours.

The 38-year-old prince accused publishers of “industrial-scale destruction of evidence” and blamed a lack of call data on the alleged use of “burner” phones, of which no record would be kept.

“I believe phone-hacking was on an industrial scale across at least three of the papers at the time and that is beyond doubt,” he told the court.

Click here for the full story on Wednesday’s court hearing.

Journalist presented with ‘blagging’ email

18:30 , Sam Rkaina

In court, Mirror journalist Jane Kerr was questioned about commissioning South Africa-based private investigator Mike Behr to cover a story about Harry’s then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy as her name was on two invoices.

She said she would have asked him to make “calls” on the story and get information from his “contacts”.

David Sherborne read from a joint email written by Mr Behr in December 2007, to Rebecca English, the Daily Mail’s royal editor and Duncan Larcombe, the former royal editor of The Sun, to illustrate the private investigator’s “methods”.

He said “…there we have in wonderful detail all of the flight details, the seat number, flight times, the flight number…” and asked Ms Kerr “He’s blagging flight details, isn’t he?”.

She replied “yes” adding “I don’t know how he got this information, I’ve never seen this.”

He read from another email headlined “Chelsy Airline Search” from Mr Behr to Mr Larcombe which discussed payment arrangements and how he had already billed Ms English.

Supporter shouts ‘we love you’ as Harry leaves court

18:07 , Sam Rkaina

The Duke of Sussex has left the High Court after giving evidence in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers.

Harry left the Rolls Building in central London at 5.10pm and got into a black Range Rover, ignoring questions from reporters but waving as he got into the car.

Sultana Rasheed, a GP, shouted “thank you Prince Harry, we love you Prince Harry” as the duke left the Rolls Building in a Range Rover.

“I really support Prince Harry, I really support what he stands for,” she said. “I think he’s been badly harassed.”

Watch: Prince Harry leaves High Court after his second day of phone hacking testimony

17:53 , Andy Gregory

Opinion | More like a boy than a man – Prince Harry crumpled in the witness box

17:27 , Andy Gregory

Giving his take on today’s events at the High Court, Independent Voices deputy editor Samuel Fishwick writes:

Breezing into the building with a smile flickering around the edges of his beard, Prince Harry started the day cheerfully enough, clutching a wad of notes nervously like a GCSE student rolling out of bed for finals.

By the end, he looked as pale and limp as his lime green tie.

As his lawyer, the nasal silk David Sherbourne KC, asked him how he was holding up, the eyes of the world on him, Prince Harry choked and looked hard at his shoelaces. “It’s a lot,” said Harry.

It’s not every day you see a King’s Counsel duking it out with a prince of the realm. At times here, he was made to look more like a boy again than a grown-up father of two – isolated and alone.

Opinion: More like a boy than a man – Prince Harry crumpled in the witness box

At a glance: Key moments from Prince Harry and Mirror journalist’s testimony today

17:08 , Andy Gregory

With court proceedings having concluded for the day, after taking in lengthy cross-examination of Prince Harry and former Mirror journalist Jane Kerr, here are some of the key moments of the day:

• Prince Harry said he was bringing his cases against newspaper publishers to put a stop to the “absolute intrusion and hate that was coming towards me and my wife and see if there was any way to find a different course of action, rather than relying on the institution’s way”.

• The Duke of Sussex appeared to fight back tears as he was asked about his experience in the witness box describing years of press intrusion, to which he eventually replied: “It’s a lot.”

• The royal claimed that he had found a tracking device on his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy’s car which he alleged had been placed there by private investigator.

• Asked by MGN’s barrister if he was aware that claimants in the 2015 phone hacking trial against the newspaper publisher had “extensive call data” showing calls to their mobile phones, the duke said he was not aware of that, and insisted the lack of such data in his claim “absolutely” did not suggest he was not also a victim of hacking because journalists could have used “burner phones”.

• The duke claimed hacking phones had been a “risk worth the reward” for journalists and claimed that police did not “know how to deal with” such allegations when they first surfaced.

• Harry was grilled over a 2006 People article about a visit of his to a lap-dancing club, discussing “quotes from the Lithuanian lap dancer who sat on my lap” in a Sunday People article from 2006.

In some highlights of her own testimony under questioning by Prince Harry’s barrister David Sherborne, the Mirror’s former royal editor and assistant news editor Jane Kerr:

• Defended claims she had commissioned third-parties to gather information for news stories “900 times” while working at the Mirror, stating that she “just made the calls” and that “it just didn’t occur to me to ask” how their information was obtained.

• Denied Mr Sherborne’s suggestion that she “knew” journalists were using dates of birth to pass to private investigators to access people’s voicemails.

• Stated that she has “never asked anyone to do anything unlawful” and that she “did not think there was anything wrong with using “people who were well known to the news desk”, as she “had no reason to suspect that they would be doing anything other than carrying out normal journalistic activity”.

• Admitted that she did not want to attend court on Wednesday, after the court was told that she attempted to avoid giving evidence last week but was “ordered” to attend the trial by the judge.

• Was defended against what MGN barrister Andrew Green claimed was an “ambush” of her in the witness box by his opposite number Mr Sherborne – a charge the judge rejected.

• Was asked to return again to court for a further 90 minutes of questioning by Mr Sherborne, after today’s proceedings appeared to run over time.

Court session concludes with Mirror journalist to return to witness box on Thursday

16:46 , Andy Gregory

The court session has concluded for the day, with the judge telling Mirror journalist Jane Kerr not to discuss her evidence with anyone until she returns to court tomorrow.

Prince Harry’s barrister David Sherborne said he would likely question Ms Kerr for a further 90 minutes on Thursday despite her not being due to give evidence again and having an appointment mid-morning.

The judge told the barrister he was “running out of patience” with “timetabling issues”, saying: “We seem to run into a problem every day ... [it’s] ridiculous".

Towards the end of her questioning by Mr Sherborne, Ms Kerr was asked about a number of individuals and agencies who she had commissioned to source information for stories while working at the newspaper.

Those included some sources which the barrister said she had used, but were absent from her witness statement, to which Ms Kerr said she had been presented with a list of names and asked to say which of those she recognised.

In discussion of some sources, Ms Kerr said she had “no reason to ask them” whether what they were doing was lawful, adding that she had “no reason to suspect” they were doing anything other than “carrying out usual journalistic activities”.

Mirror journalist ‘never asked anyone to do anything unlawful'

16:22 , Andy Gregory

Former Daily Mirror journalist Jane Kerr told the court that she has “never asked anyone to do anything unlawful”.

While being cross-examined by Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne about her use of private investigators, the journalist said she had “no reason to believe” details had been obtained unlawfully.

She told the court: “These were people who were well known to the news desk, I did not think there was anything wrong with using them.

Ms Kerr added: “I had no reason to suspect that they would be doing anything other than carrying out normal journalistic activity ... I know I have never asked anyone to do anything unlawful.”

Mr Sherborne questioned how, if Ms Kerr can’t remember what anyone did, how she can say whether it was lawful or unlawful.

Mirror journalist ‘had no reason’ to believe third-parties were behaving unlawfully

16:11 , Andy Gregory

In court, David Sherborne, representing the Duke of Sussex, Mirror journalist Jane Kerr used “a large number of private investigators and other third parties whilst [she was] at Mirror Group Newspapers”.

In her written statement, Ms Kerr said she had been told of payment records from AJK Research and Commercial and Legal Services (UK) Limited which refer to her name. She said recalled using the services of the directors of Commercial and Legal Services UK “to ask them to look up an address that was listed on the electoral roll”.

Ms Kerr said that when she was on the newsdesk “in charge of getting reporters out” and there was a “big story breaking” she might have asked them to “look up the names and addresses on the electoral roll”. “My name might appear on the invoices because of this,” Ms Kerr said.

She also said she was familiar with the name of the director of AJK Research, saying he used “to do genealogy/family tree research and he used birth, deaths and marriage registers to do this”.

“I had no reason to believe the practices used by these suppliers were unlawful,” Ms Kerr said.

Mirror journalist discusses Harry ‘drug-taking' story

16:08 , Andy Gregory

While Jane Kerr’s byline is on 10 of the 33 articles being examined in court, about which Prince Harry has complained, Ms Kerr in some instances said she could not recall the story or its source – echoing the duke’s own testimony earlier.

In relation to a January 2002 Daily Mirror article entitled “Harry’s cocaine ecstasy and GHB parties”, Ms Kerr said in her witness statement that she was following up a News of the World story and would have called St James’s Palace to get confirmation.

“I cannot recall this story well and I do not know the source of the quotes in this article,” she said, adding it is likely to have come from a contact of her crime correspondent colleague who was jointly bylined.

She added: “I am aware that there was a payment to a confidential source in respect of this article but the source was not one of my contacts.”

Judge rejects barrister’s claim Prince Harry’s lawyer is ‘ambushing’ Mirror journalist

16:03 , Andy Gregory

The judge has rejected a claim by the Mirror Group’s lawyer that Prince Harry’s barrister was conducting an “ambush” of journalist Jane Kerr, which he claimed was “terribly unfair”.

But Judge Mr Justice Fancourt replied: “It’s not an ambush.”

Mirror journalist grilled over ‘magical’ provision of phone numbers

15:56 , Andy Gregory

The Mirror’s former royal editor and assistant news editor Jane Kerr is currently being questioned by Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne.

In her witness statement, Ms Kerr has described calling various agencies who provided phone numbers the paper needed to cover breaking news.

Ms Kerr said she “knew what she was doing but it was a long time ago”, after Mr Sherborne claimed she seemed “to have no idea of what you were doing at the time”.

Pressing further, the barrister asked: “You called up people, you had no idea what they did – they magically produced phone numbers and you never asked any questions?”, to which Ms Kerr replied: “Yes.”

In her witness statement, Ms Kerr said: “I would like to reiterate in the strongest terms that I have never engaged in voicemail interception at MGN or elsewhere and I have never instructed private investigators or other third parties to engage in unlawful information gathering activities.

“I worked hard and honestly as a journalist, always believing I was doing the right thing, and I felt proud and privileged to be the Mirror’s royal reporter. To be accused of such a thing is extremely upsetting.”

Judge asks Harry about his disappearing voicemails

15:46 , Andy Gregory

Prior to the conclusion of his testimony, Prince Harry was asked by the judge when he first began to notice that his voicemails did not appear to be “new” when he listened to them – suggesting that someone else had already listened to them.

In his witness statement, Harry says he was first issued a mobile “by the institution” while at Eton, over which period he would hear voicemails that were no longer “new” – which at the time blamed on either a technical glitch or “having had too many drinks the night before”.

As he departed the witness box, the judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, zoned in on this aspect of his testimony, asking when the duke experienced “this strange activity”.

“From the moment I had a mobile phone,” replied Prince Harry, to which the judge asked: “Are you saying this continued throughout the period?”

“It never stopped,” the duke replied.

‘I just made the calls: Mirror journalist defends commissioning firm to find information ‘900 times'

15:27 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry’s lawyer claims to have evidence that former Mirror journalist Jane Kerr commissioned a third-party company 900 times to obtain details about people, such as their dates of birth and addresses.

Barrister David Sherborne told the court that internal emails showed “concern” at the paper about the sums being spent on such firms given that a database there allowing its staff to do similar searches for free.

After Ms Kerr said she “just made the calls”, Mr Sherborne said: “You were the assistant news editor at the Daily Mirror. You’re telling the court you instructed a company 900 times to do something you could have done for free and you’ve no idea how they obtained this information?”

“It just didn’t occur to me to ask,” she replied, prompting Mr Sherborne to suggest that she “knew” journalists were using dates of birth to pass to private investigators to access people’s voicemails – which she denied.

In her witness statement, Ms Kerr said: “I have never engaged in voicemail interception at MGN or elsewhere and I have never engaged the services of private investigators or other third parties to engage in unlawful information gathering activities.”

Mirror journalist questioned over role not mentioned in witness statement

15:16 , Andy Gregory

In questioning by Prince Harry’s lawyer, former Mirror royal editor Jane Kerr has been asked why she did not mention her former role as the paper’s assistant news editor in her witness statement.

Pressed on the matter by barrister David Sherborne, who claimed she was trying to distance herself from the paper, Ms Kerr said that while she could have included it in her witness statement, she was focusing on the work she did as royal editor and royal reporter.

I launched hacking claim to protect Meghan, says Harry

15:10 , Adam Forrest

Earlier today, Prince Harry said he had launched his phone hacking case to stop his wife Meghan from suffering “intrusion and hate” from the press, the High Court has heard.

Andrew Green KC, acting on behalf of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), asked when the Duke of Sussex initially discussed possible legal action.

Harry said he believed there was a discussion about him wanting to put a stop to the “absolute intrusion and hate that was coming towards me and my wife and see if there was any way to find a different course of action, rather than relying on the institution’s way”.

Mr Green asked if he had wanted to bring an action against News Group Newspapers (NGN) first and then decided to also sue MGN, to which Harry replied: “No, I believe I filed the claims at pretty much the same time.” Harry added that there was “industrial-scale destruction of evidence on all sides”.

Mirror journalist says she didn’t want to attend court today

15:01 , Andy Gregory

Jane Kerr, a royal reporter for The Mirror between 1997 and 2005, is now giving evidence.

The court was told that she attempted to avoid giving evidence last week but was “ordered” to attend the trial by the judge, and asked by barrister David Sherborne that “you didn’t want to come today, did you?”, she replied: “No, I didn’t.”

Mr Sherborne, for Prince Harry, said Ms Kerry commissioned private investigators on 900 separate occasions while working at the Mirror, which she said were a regular part of her duties there, The Guardian reports.

Prince Harry remains in court as Mirror journalist questioned

14:46 , Andy Gregory

After asking the Duke of Sussex a few final questions, Judge Mr Justice Fancourt told him: “Thank you very much Prince Harry, that really is the end of your evidence”.

The duke has remained in court to listen to Jane Kerr, the Mirror’s formal royal editor, who is now being questioned by Harry’s barrister, David Sherborne.

The journalist has been called as a witness by Mirror Group Newspapers, and her byline is on 10 out of 33 articles selected to be discussed in court.

‘It’s a lot’: Prince Harry’s questioning comes to an end after nearly eight hours

14:42 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex finished giving evidence at about 2.30pm, after almost eight hours of questioning on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In his final question to his client, barrister David Sherborne asked the duke how sitting in the witness box and poring over the relevant news articles “knowing the media is watching” had made him feel.

The duke’s voice broke slightly, as he replied: “It's a lot.”

Prince Harry ‘found’ tracking device on Chelsy Davy’s car

14:40 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry claims to have found a tracking device on his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy’s car in South Africa.

Asked how he knew this by his barrister David Sherborne, the Duke of Sussex told the court: “Because we found it.”

Another friend of his had also found a tracking device on his car, the duke said.

Harry again denies ‘speculating’ after claims of £500 Mirror payment for Afghanistan story

14:37 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne has returned to the article about Harry being banned from returning to Afghanistan.

Mr Sherborne pointed the duke to a document and told the court that a £500 payment by the Mirror had gone to a private investigator, asking Harry whether he believed he was speculating when claiming unlawful information-gathering was involved in the story.

After a short pause, the duke replied: “For my whole life, the press misled me, covered up the wrongdoing, and sitting here in court knowing that the defence has the evidence in front of them and for Mr Green to suggest I’m speculating … I’m not sure what to say about that.”

Harry rejects ‘speculation’ claims as appears to point to ‘destructive’ Mail splash

14:32 , Andy Gregory

The court session has resumed and Harry’s own lawyer David Sherborne has questioned him about the opposing barrister Andrew Green’s repeated claims that the duke had entered the “realm of speculation”.

Harry told the court he dd not believe he was speculating, adding that it was “even more destructive” that the phrase “in the realms of speculation” was used “as a headline this morning against me”.

That quote appeared on the front page of today’s Daily Mail, the publisher of whom Harry is also bringing legal action against.

Prince Harry denies ‘cavorting’ with friend at rugby match

14:28 , Andy Gregory

Earlier in his evidence, the Duke of Sussex denied he was “cavorting” with a woman at rugby match at Twickenham in London in March 2009.

Harry challenged the contents of March 2009 Daily Mirror article which alleged he “openly cavorted with his new girlfriend Astrid Harbord” in a hospitality box.

He told the court that he and Ms Harbord were “never in a relationship”, adding: “Everything that was highlighted was not true”.

“I wasn’t cavorting,” Harry said, after Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said he had been in public.

In his written witness statement, the duke said: “This kind of article from the defendant was just embarrassing for me. Friends teased me, it created an awkwardness between me and whichever girl was at the subject of the story.”

He said he had been shown six payments to a private investigator relating to Ms Harbord, “which shows that she was of prior interest to the Mirror”.

Asked in court whose mobile phone he thought was hacked, Harry replied: “I’m not sure because the evidence has been destroyed.”

Watch: Prince Harry broadcast disrupted as East 17’s Brian Harvey protests outside court

14:15 , Andy Gregory

Who is David Sherborne? The A-list barrister representing Prince Harry in his legal battles

13:58 , Andy Gregory

With Prince Harry now taking questions from his own barrister, David Sherborne, my colleague Matt Mathers has more information about the lawyer.

With A-list clients including Paul McCartney and Johnny Depp, the barrister is no stranger to high-profile cases, having even represented the late Princess Diana.

A US-native, Mr Sherborne came to attention in the UK again for his role in the Levenson Inquiry, representing a host of celebrities who had their phones hacked by the now-defunct News of the World.

All we know about A-list lawyer representing Prince Harry in his legal battles

13:46 , Andy Gregory

The court broke for lunch just after 1pm, with the duke’s barrister David Sherborne saying he expects to take about 10 to 15 minutes re-examining Harry after the break.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, completed his cross-examination of the duke shortly before the lunch break.

Read all 55 pages of Prince Harry’s phone-hacking witness statement in full

13:27 , Andy Gregory

While the court has risen for lunch, you can read Prince Harry’s witness statement below:

Read all 55 pages of Prince Harry’s phone-hacking witness statement in full

Harry says ‘burner phones’ used to hack voicemails as he defends lack of any call data

13:08 , Andy Gregory

MGN barrister Andrew Green has now finished his cross examination of Prince Harry, who is now taking questions from his own lawyer, David Sherborne.

After more than seven hours of testimony, Mr Sherborne started by saying: “Given the time, I’m not going to take you back through every single article.”

The duke reportedly drew some laughter in the court as he replied: “Thank you.”

The barrister began by addressing the lack of any call data showing he had received calls from Mirror Group journalists.

Asked whether he means that no one actually hacked his phone, Harry replied that he believes “burner phones” were deployed, adding: “I believe they would have gone to extreme lengths to cover their tracks.”

The court has now risen for lunch.

I can’t remember specific voicemails, says Harry

13:00 , Andy Gregory

In a final exchange with opposing barrister Andrew Green, Prince Harry was asked when he first sought help from lawyers about a potential claim against the Mirror publisher.

The duke said that he did not approach lawyers, but instead, as detailed in his autobiography, bumped into his barrister David Sherborne in France in around 2018.

Pressed by MGN barrister Andrew Green that he had not identified any single message that he recalled being left on a voicemail which had made its way into a news story, the duke said he could not remember specific voicemails.

The duke retorted that there was “hard evidence of suspiciousness”, and agreed that he believed he was hacked over a 15-year period.

Asked by Mr Green whether he was “claiming damages on the basis that your phone was hacked on daily basis”, Harry replied: “It could have been. I simply don’t know, my lord. That’s part of the reason why I’m here.”

Chelsy Davy ‘trial separation’ article may have been obtained through phone hacking, Harry says

12:54 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy were “not sharing anything with anyone”, amid a report she had asked for a “trial separation” in November 2007, he told the High Court.

The Daily Mirror article said Ms Davy “reportedly asked for a trial separation in an emotional phone call”.

“I believe that that could be obtained through a voicemail,” Harry told the court, but adding he would be “speculating” when asked if he remembered if either he or Ms Davy had left such a message.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said information in the story had been previously reported by other media outlets.

The duke said quotes in the article “are attributed to friends”, adding: “By this point myself and Chelsy were not sharing anything with anyone.”

Harry rejects laywer’s claim his phone hacking allegations are ‘total speculation'

12:51 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex “never discussed with the Palace” details of his relationship with former girlfriend Chelsy Davy, the High Court heard.

MGN’s barrister questioned Harry about a September 2007 People article that claimed the couple’s relationship was “in crisis after a string of bitter bust-ups”.

Harry told the court that the “whole article itself is suspicious”, adding: “I never discussed with the Palace any details of my relationship with my girlfriend”.

Mr Green asked the duke if he was alleging that information in the story came from phone hacking, to which he said: “Yes”, adding: “I say that everything that has been attributed to a Palace source ... was obtained unlawfully. The Palace wouldn’t know this information.”

The duke disagreed with Mr Green’s suggestion a “well-connected source was perfectly prepared” to provide information to the article’s author, with Harry also rejecting the suggestion that his allegations of phone hacking were “total speculation”.

Prince Harry questioned over article about dinner party with Caroline Flack

12:47 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been questioned over a People article about a “lively” dinner party he attended with late TV presenter Caroline Flack, headlined “Harry's date with Gladiators star”.

In his witness statement, Harry said at the time he “was so shocked and livid” that two photographers knew where we would be and were “hiding underneath a car” waiting for us to arrive.

He says that at the time he “obviously doubted” Caroline – who he reportedly looked pained as he said she “is no longer with us” – and “even came to distrust” the friend who had hosted the dinner party, causing he and William to cut him off for a while out of confusion over how their private meetings were ambushed by photographers.

The duke said he now believes the information came from hacked voicemails, accusing the picture agency of having “stalked me for a decade”.

Photographer waiting for him and Chelsy Davy was ‘highly suspicious’, Harry says

12:35 , Andy Gregory

Referring to a December 2007 article about Prince Harry dropping Chelsy Davy off after she spent the night at Kensington Palace, which included a paparazzi photograph of her, Andrew Green KC suggested that was something “anyone could have observed”.

The barrister said there were often photographers outside the palace, to which Harry said: “They were only there for pretty much emergencies or big moments of the royal family – weddings, engagements, hospital visits.”

Mr Green said: “There were there on this occasion”, to which Harry replied: “That is why it’s suspicious, my lord.”

The duke added: “This to me is incredibly suspicious as I say. She spent the night with me, I was dropping her off as close to Kensington High Street as I could get without being seen. To know that a photographer was there for us, waiting, was highly suspicious.”

The duke said he suspected he had seen the article at the time of publication as he believed his security team would have alerted him to it.

‘This isn’t about you asking me questions’, barrister tells Harry

12:31 , Andy Gregory

The court turned to a 2008 People article claiming Prince Harry had been “banned” from returning to Afghanistan.

In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex calls the story another “obvious” example of the outlet acquiring details about his private life in an unlawful way.

Pressed by barrister Andrew Green that his military service was “a matter of legitimate public interest reflected in the press” that the story focused on his professional rather than private life, Harry asked: “Are you suggesting that while I was in the army that everything was available for the press to write about?”

Mr Green responded: “Can I just repeat this isn’t about you asking me questions, it’s about me asking you questions.”

Prince Harry denounces article about Chelsy Davy breakup as a ‘bit mean'

12:12 , Andy Gregory

Proceedings have now resumed, following a short break.

Earlier, MGN’s barrister Andrew Green KC turned his questioning to a November 2007 Sunday Mirror article entitled “Hooray Harry’s dumped”.

The story reported that the duke went to west London nightclub Amika and “drowned his sorrows” over the split, with Harry complaining over its alleged use of his private information.

The Duke told the court the article headline “does seem to suggest that people are celebrating”, adding it “is a little bit mean”.

But Mr Green told the court that the headline was actually a reference to a friend who had become “tired of his hooray lifestyle”, adding: “It’s not celebrating the demise of your relationship.”

Prince Harry discusses ‘quotes from the Lithuanian lap dancer who sat on my lap’

12:07 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has discussed “quotes from the Lithuanian lap dancer who sat on my lap” in a Sunday People article from April 2006 about his visit to a Spearmint Rhino club near Slough.

Referring to records of MGN payments made around that time relating to the article, Harry said: “I believe one of those payments is probably to the bouncer or someone who worked at Spearmint Rhino.”

MGN barrister Andrew Green pointed to a Daily Mail article about the same story, which said that one of the lap dancers “bore a resemblance” to his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

Harry interjected to say that article was “factually inaccurate”, adding: “I’m saying that is not true.”

Mr Green suggested the People article contained no information that was not in the Mail one, to which Harry replied: “I don’t see any quotes from the Lithuanian lap dancer who sat on my lap, as in the (People) article.”

The duke described this as a “classic example” of a story about him originating from one media organisation and then “Mirror Group or anyone else who was one step behind would be encouraged to then go and find out more”.

Mr Green then asked Harry about part of the article, which referred to Ms Davy having “screamed for half an hour” at him on the phone, and where he thought this information could have come from.

Harry told the court: “At this point, knowing that my girlfriend’s number was bizarrely in the hands of Mirror journalists, that they probably looked through her call data and saw missed calls, late calls... and managed to put together a story based on that.”

He added: “It was very suspicious that they had her number. As I said, I do not believe she would give Mirror Group or any journalists her phone number.”

Key moments so far: Harry grilled on lap dancing, ex-girlfriend and Sandhurst

12:00 , Andy Gregory

The court is taking a short break. Here are some of the key moments this morning so far:

• Prince Harry said that news articles about a knee injury of his, which claimed he had been allowed to forego “gruelling five-mile runs” at Sandhurst as a result, led him to be mistrustful of medics at the military academy.

• The Duke of Sussex claimed hacking phones had been a “risk worth the reward” for journalists and claimed that police did not “know how to deal with” such allegations when they first surfaced.

• Harry was grilled over a 2006 People article about a visit of his to a lap-dancing club, prompting his lawyer David Sherborne to interject to complain that his opposite number Andrew Green’s questioning was unfair as it suggested the statements in the article were true. The judge agreed Mr Green’s choice of words was not “entirely appropriate”.

• Asked by MGN’s barrister if he was aware that claimants in the 2015 phone hacking trial against the newspaper publisher had “extensive call data” showing calls to their mobile phones, the duke said he was not aware of that, and insisted the lack of such data in his claim “absolutely” did not suggest he was not also a victim of hacking.

• The duke was asked about his relationship with Chelsy Davy and insisted she would not have given her phone number to MGN titles. Pointed towards an article which suggested he was “celebrating” breaking up with her, Harry noted that this “seems a bit mean.”

Hacking royal’s phones was ‘risk worth the reward’, claims Harry

11:39 , Andy Gregory

Alleged phone hacking by journalists was a risk “worth the reward”, the Duke of Sussex told the High Court.

During cross-examination by Andrew Green KC, for MGN, Harry was asked questions in relation to an April 2006 People article reporting his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy’s “fury” over his “boozy evening at a lap-dancing club”.

Mr Green said a News of the World article around the same time mentioned a voice mail that the duke’s brother had left for him imitating Ms Davy’s voice.

The barrister said this story was an “important step” leading to the police arresting News of the World journalist Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who were both later convicted over phone hacking.

Mr Green said no MGN journalists were arrested at the time of a police investigation, adding that journalists would have later been taking an “enormous risk” by hacking Harry’s phone or those around him.

“I think there was a risk right from the beginning,” the duke said, adding: “I believe the risk is worth the reward for them”.

Police ‘didn’t know how to deal with’ phone hacking claims, says Harry

11:35 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has claimed that the police initially did not “know how to deal with” phone hacking allegations.

Asked about the arrests of former News of the World journalists Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, the duke said he believed Scotland Yard’s “focus was understandably on” that newspaper – but barrister Andrew Green countered that the investigation was “broader”.

The duke replied: “I don’t think anyone even the police knew how to deal with it at first. At the time we didn’t know there was voice mail hacking, no one did. I believe at the time no one really knew how that information could have got out.

“The understanding from the Palace was that this was probably a one off.”

Harry: I’d feel ‘injustice’ if phone hacking claims not accepted by court

11:18 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has said that he would feel “some injustice” if he loses his court battle against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Asked whether he believed the absence of any call data between his phone and any journalists at MGN suggests he was not hacked by a journalist, Harry told the court: “Absolutely not.”

Pressed on whether he would be relieved or disappointed if the court finds he was not hacked, the duke said he would “feel some injustice if [his claim] wasn’t accepted”.

Asked by the barrister Andrew Green whether he “wants to have been phone hacked”, Harry replied: “Nobody wants to be phone hacked.”

Prince Harry says stories about his injuries left him mistrusting doctors at Eton and Sandhurst

11:12 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has said that stories about his injuries at school and Sandhurst made him stop trusting doctors and medics at those institutions.

After describing yesterday how a Mirror article about him breaking his thumb left him feeling he could not “trust the doctors” there, the Duke of Sussex has today told the court that a story about him injuring his knee at Sandhurst also left him with “distrust” of the military academy’s medics.

Harry denies Chelsy Davy would have given Mirror Group her phone number

11:03 , Andy Gregory

Barrister Andrew Green has turned to information in a People article about the duke using the computer room at Sandhurst to email his then girlfriend Chelsy Davy and suggested someone at the military academy could have seen him doing so.

Harry said: “Unless somebody was watching me specifically for that, no, I don’t believe so.”

Asked if he believed that information came from unlawful information-gathering, the duke replied: “Yes, my lord, I have no idea how anybody would know.”

Responding to another question about whose phone could have been hacked to obtain that information, Harry said: “I believe the Mirror Group had Chelsy’s number at this time.

“I’m not entirely sure my girlfriend would have given Mirror Group her number and also at the time my number was in [journalist] Nick Buckley’s palm pilot, and he was a prolific hacker.”

Harry questioned over definition of a ‘public interest’ story

10:52 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been questioned over what he believes constitutes a “public interest” story, following remarks of his yesterday suggesting that media coverage of his injuries and drug-taking had fallen short of this mark.

While barrister Andrew Green suggested that stories about a royal taking illegal drugs or receiving preferential treatment at a military academy might indeed be in the public interest, Harry said he disagreed.

Asked what he thought does constitute a public interest story, the duke said: “I’m not entirely sure, other than speculating”, continuing after being pressed further: “A life threatening injury ... I’m sure there are others.”

East 17 star ‘protests outside High Court'

10:46 , Andy Gregory

As proceedings in court got under way, East 17 star Brian Lee Harvey is reported to have been conducting a protest outside the building.

According to Sky News, the pop singer was using colourful language and shouting loudly about corruption, alleging that he too was a victim of phone hacking by Britain’s “joke” media.

Trial turns to article about Sandhurst knee injury

10:41 , Andy Gregory

The first article being looked at in court today is a 2005 People story titled “Harry Carry”, which claimed the royal was permitted not to take part in “gruelling” runs at Sandhurst as a result of being injured.

In his witness statement, Harry said he was not openly discussing his health or injuries. But barrister Andrew Green KC asked whether that was “an entirely accurate statement”, pointing to a statement by Clarence House providing an update about Harry’s knee injury, which included a quote from Harry himself.

‘Good morning, Mr Green’, interjects Prince Harry

10:38 , Andy Gregory

With court back in session, Prince Harry appears to have kicked off proceedings in an assertive fashion.

As barrister Andrew Green KC opened with the statement: “Prince Harry, we are now on the 22nd article...”, the Duke of Sussex is reported to have interjected: “Good morning, Mr Green.”

Prince Harry returns to witness box

10:31 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex has taken his seat in the witness box of court 15 of the Rolls Building to resume giving evidence.

Barrister Andrew Green KC, representing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), will continue to cross-examine Harry.

Duke to pass through security en route to witness box

10:18 , Andy Gregory

With the Duke of Sussex having arrived at the court at 9:52am, he will undergo routine security checks before entering the courtroom.

One commentator told Sky News yesterday evening that they had been told by a security guard that Prince Harry had insisted he was subected to the same security procedure as everyone else entering the court.

Where is Duke of Sussex staying during phone hacking trial?

10:15 , Andy Gregory

As Prince Harry makes history with his dramatic appearance at the High Court for his case against Mirror Group Newspapers, there is much speculation about where he is staying.

My colleague Laura Sharman explores the possible options:

Where is Prince Harry staying during his court case in London?

Prince Harry met with video of his grandmother as he arrives at High Court

10:11 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry is “probably the only person whose ever been met with a video of his grandmother as he arrives at court”, the Evening Standard’s courts correspondent has noted, with the late Queen having officially opened the Rolls Building in 2011.

Here are some more images of the Duke of Sussex’s arrival at the court:

Nine bombshell claims from Prince Harry in first witness box showdown

10:07 , Andy Gregory

With Harry now back at the High Court this morning for a second day of testimoy, The Independent has taken a look at the key moments from his first day giving evidence:

9 bombshell claims from Prince Harry in first witness box showdown

Prince Harry arrives at High Court

10:01 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex has arrived once again to a vast scrum of cameras and reporters outside the High Court in London.

Prince Harry gave a wave and small smile to the crowd gathered outside the Rolls Building as he swiftly entered the building from a nearby Range Rover, ignoring the many shouts from those awaiting his arrival.

Sky News to produce series of clips reconstructing Harry’s courtroom evidence

09:47 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex’s courtroom evidence is to be reconstructed by an actor who featured in Outlander, in a series of special programmes for Sky News.

Actor Laurence Dobiesz will be bringing to life “significant moments” from the statements made by Harry in London’s High Court this week in his claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.

Each night at 9pm, Sky News broadcaster Jonathan Samuels is set to present the special, titled Harry In Court, with Dobiesz voicing evidence given by the duke.

The actor has previously appeared in historical drama Outlander as well as 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows which starred Robert Downey Jr.

Who is the barrister grilling Prince Harry at the High Court?

09:34 , Andy Gregory

As he enters the witness box again on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex will once again face Andrew Green KC, the renowned barrister acting on behalf of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Mr Green, who has fought various high-profile cases in his 35 years at the Bar, will be seeking to “tear his case to shreds”, a High Court barrister told Sky News on Monday – as a former adversary warned The Independent that the duke may not even realise if he slips up during cross-examination.

Having been awarded silk in 2010 – the honour bestowed upon only elite lawyers – Mr Green has previously been described as a “beast in court”, in remarks publicised on his profile at Blackstone Chambers.

He is ranked by the Legal 500 as among the top barristers in various areas of law, including commercial litigation, banking and finance, international arbitration, financial services, and media and entertainment.

The website describes him as “a fearless and fearsome cross-examiner”, and “an opponent to be feared, with a punchy and aggressive court style”, who is “particularly at home with cross-examination” and possesses “an Eye of Sauron-like focus on client expectations”.

All we know about ‘Beast’ lawyer ‘planning to tear Prince Harry’s case to shreds’

Harry is ‘fighting the wrong battle’, royal historian claims

09:12 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry “is fighting the wrong battle” and is “very unlikely” to succeed in his lifelong ambition to curtail the worst excesses of the tabloid press, a royal historian has claimed.

Asked what he made of yesterday’s proceedings, Sir Anthony Seldon said: “Sadly predictable. History would show that the royal family cannot beat, or even curtail, the media, and attempts to do so don’t end up happily.

“But if the royals get on – and I know he’s not a working royal at the moment – but history would show that where they get on and do their jobs and show a sense of service to other people and put other people first, not their own interests first, then the media will tend to report them favourably.

“So that would suggest that Harry is fighting the wrong battle, and whether he wins this or indeed loses, he might well end up losing and he is very unlikely to be able to succeed in what he said is his lifelong ambition, which is to sort out the tabloid media.”

Describing the Duke of Sussex as “at his best” when using his “superlative gifts at reaching people” to help those with physical and mental health problems, he told Sky News: “I think everyone understands the deep anguish and pain that he feels with his own mother, and his own childhood, but is this really the battle that he wants to fight? Is this how he wants to use his extraordinary talents and reach?”

Watch live: Prince Harry expected to arrive at High Court for second day of testimony

08:55 , Andy Gregory

Harry ‘damaging’ his reputation, says Rees-Mogg

08:35 , Matt Mathers

Jacob Rees-Mogg has joined senior Tories in attacking Prince Harry over the High Court case – claiming his “attacks on journalists seem to swing between paranoid and hysterical”, Adam Forrest reports.

“The Royal Family is always ill-advised to go to court,” said Rees-Mogg on GB News programme. He claimed Harry’s decision to “let daylight in” was a “fundamental error”.

He added “It is damaging rather than enhancing Prince Harry’s reputation ... Freedom of the press is one of our great constitutional safeguards.” Rees-Mogg also said Harry’s attack on the “rock bottom” government was “ill-advised”.

It follows furious Tory MPs firing back at Harry’s “unwise” comments – urging him to “stand for election” if he wanted to be politician.

Former Tory minister Andrea Jenkyns told The Independent was “a good job he lives in America. He shouldn’t be intervening in British politics – that’s not his role”

And Tory MP Henry Smith told The Independent: “It’s very unwise of him to stray into British political comment – but if he wants to he should renounce his title and stand for election.”

Piers Morgan: Good luck with your privacy campaign, Harry

08:15 , Matt Mathers

Piers Morgan sarcastically wished Prince Harry “good luck” with his privacy campaign, saying he looked forward to reading about it in the duke’s “next book”.

Harry claims Mr Morgan was aware of phone-hacking and illegal information gathering taking place at the now-defunct News of the World when he was editor of the paper.

Mr Morgan denies the claims.

Mr Morgan said he “didn’t see it” when a reporter asked him about comments made by Harry in court yesterday in which he described the presenter’s alleged behaviour as “vile and unjustified”.

Prince Harry’s court comments have given press ‘further ammunition’ to attack him

07:58 , Matt Mathers

Prince Harry has given the press further “ammunition” to attack him over comments he made about the government, a Tory peer has said.

The Duke of Sussex yesterday claimed the government had hit “rock bottom” and also lashed out at the press.

“He’s not going to get a fair hearing from the press,” Ed Vaizey told ITV Good Morning Britain. “Clearly it is Prince Harry versus the press”.

Watch more of Lord Vaizey’s interview here:

Prince Harry back in witness box

07:29 , Matt Mathers

Prince Harry is due back in the witness box later this morning in his legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

The Duke of Sussex lashed out at the media and government yesterday in his first appearance at the trial.

He is expected to appear at London’s High Court after 10.30am.

Former Mirror Royal Editor Jane Kerr is due to give evidence once the duke has concluded.

The hearing is in Court 15 of the Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, with an overspill in Court 14.

Judge gives Biden administration a week to decide on release of Prince Harry’s visa records

Wednesday 7 June 2023 00:10 , Gustaf Kilander

A judge in DC federal court has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to decide within a week how it will handle a Freedom of Information request from the conservative Heritage Foundation for the immigration records of the Duke of Sussex.

DHS has so far not responded to the request, prompting legal action from the foundation, in which they pointed to Prince Harry’s previous admissions of drug use, such as in his memoir Spare.

The department argued that an injunction to force DHS to expedite the request shouldn’t go ahead as the foundation hasn’t shown how they will suffer irreparable harm if the information isn’t shared.

Representing the government, Assistant US Attorney John Bardo argued on Tuesday that it wouldn’t make a difference when the request was handled, even if the response came a year from now.

The Heritage Foundation said the interest in Prince Harry’s immigration status would wain.

Read more:

Judge gives Biden admin a week to decide on release of Prince Harry’s visa records

Sunak declines to comment on Harry’s broadside at government

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:45 , Sam Rkaina

Rishi Sunak has refused to be drawn into a war of words with the Duke of Sussex over his claim the Government had hit “rock bottom”.

The Prime Minister told reporters travelling with him to Washington: “As you know, we have a long-standing convention that prime ministers don’t comment on members of the royal family.”

Why is a US think-tank seeking the release of Prince Harry’s visa application form?

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:12 , Andy Gregory

In addition to his various legal battles in the UK, a challenge concerning Prince Harry’s right to live in the United States is also set to get under way in Washinton DC on Tuesday, concerning revelations of illegal drug-taking in his memoir Spare.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think-tank, is bringing a case against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appealing for the release of the duke’s visa application, submitted in advance of his relocation to California in January 2020.

If the duke’s application were to be published and reveal that his answers contradicted his later public revelations about his dalliances with drugs, the case would call into question the Biden administration’s handling of the visa application process, the organisation contends.

My colleague Joe Sommerlad has this explainer on the case:

Why is a US think-tank seeking the release of Prince Harry’s visa application form?

Sketch | Harry, the people’s prince, takes on the tabloid empire

Tuesday 6 June 2023 22:39 , Andy Gregory

Our political sketch writer Tom Peck has been at the High Court today, and notes that whatever state of breathless anticipation had been achieved by today’s blockbuster event did not last for long.

He writes: “Even with the most celebrated characters, courtroom dramas need a higher-octane plot than this one.

“Prince Harry is, almost certainly, one of more than a thousand victims of “unlawful information-gathering” by the tabloid press. But he is one of a vanishingly small number who are refusing to be paid off, and he was absolutely determined to have his day in court. This was it.

“But the problem is, it’s really all rather slow. The whole point of the cruelty of phone-hacking, as everybody even faintly interested in the subject knows by now, is that what might seem like a whole load of trivial tittle-tattle about the lives of famous people had profoundly damaging effects on its victims, who couldn’t work out how it was that photographers and reporters knew what they’d been doing – or worse, where to find them – and so stopped trusting even their closest friends and family.

“Its seriousness is not to be underestimated. But it does lead to this: many long hours of listening to Prince Harry being asked in great detail about, for example, who did or didn’t know this or that about a lunch in Pizza Express in Fulham in the late Nineties, or where he and his brother did or didn’t go on a rock-climbing holiday, or what happened on his gap year in Australia, or what the school nurse said to him when he broke his thumb at Eton.”

Harry, the people’s prince, takes on the tabloid empire | Tom Peck

Judge asks US government to decide within a week on handing over Prince Harry’s visa records

Tuesday 6 June 2023 22:11 , Andy Gregory

My colleague Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington:

A judge in DC federal court asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to decide within a week how it will handle a Freedom of Information request from the conservative Heritage Foundation for the immigration records of the Duke of Sussex.

DHS has so far not responded to the request, prompting legal action from the foundation.

Representing the government, Assistant US Attorney John Bardo argued on Tuesday that it wouldn’t make a difference when the request was handled, even if the response came a year from now.

Large parts of the hearing centred on the amount of media attention on Prince Harry and his supposed drug use which some legal experts say would have barred him from entering the US.

Mr Bardo argued that sufficient coverage from mainstream US media was required for a request to be expedited. He mentioned outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the TV networks.

Heritage lawyer Samuel Dewey meanwhile, argued in front of Judge Carl Nichols that DHS regulations simply say “media” without specifying where the outlets are based.

He went on to argue that today’s media is global, noting that The Daily Mail had 100 million page views in the US in the month of April.

Speaking to reporters outside the DC federal courthouse, Mr Dewey said that Prince Harry had foregone his right to privacy after his series of highly publicised interviews and Netflix documentary series.

Prince Harry faces legal headache across the Atlantic – just hours after High Court grilling

Tuesday 6 June 2023 21:46 , Andy Gregory

Just hours after his five-hour court grilling in London, Prince Harry is facing another legal headache some 3,500 miles away – this time concerning his right to live in the United States.

The US government is set to be challenged in court today over its decision not to disclose the reasoning behind admitting the Duke of Sussex into the country, despite his admissions of illegal drug use.

Following Harry’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his memoir Spare, the conservative Heritage Foundation think-tank questioned why he was allowed into the US in 2020.

After its Freedom of Information Act request was rejected, the Washington group brought a lawsuit against the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) – claiming it was of “immense public interest”.

Both parties are gearing up to argue the case in a federal court for the first time in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Harry’s US visa challenged in court after prince admits drug abuse in book

Who is David Sherborne? The A-list barrister representing Prince Harry in his legal battles

Tuesday 6 June 2023 21:16 , Andy Gregory

With A-list clients including Paul McCartney and Johnny Depp, barrister David Sherborne is no stranger to high-profile cases, my colleague Matt Mathers reports.

He has even represented the late Princess Diana – and now it’s Prince Harry’s turn, as the Duke of Sussex takes his long-running battle with the British press to the High Court.

A US-native, Mr Sherborne came to attention in the UK again for his role in the Levenson Inquiry, representing a host of celebrities who had their phones hacked by the now-defunct News of the World.

Mr Sherborne also represented Coleen Rooney in her “Wagatha Christie” libel action against Rebekah Vardy – a case that also attracted significant media attention.

Fellow lawyers who watched Mr Sherborne’s three-day cross-examination of Ms Vardy last year witnessed the best and worst of his style, reportedly describing it as a mixture of “undoubted charm”, “showboating” and “frequently p***ing off the judge”.

All we know about A-list lawyer representing Prince Harry in his legal battles

Full report: Prince Harry launches astonishing attack on ‘rock bottom’ government and ‘bloodstained’ press

Tuesday 6 June 2023 20:48 , Andy Gregory

My colleagues Joe Middleton and Adam Forrest have this comprehensive report on today’s historic proceedings, which saw Prince Harry rail against Britain’s government and press as he became the first royal to testify in court since 1981, against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.

Abandoning the convention that royals do not comment on politics, the Duke of Sussex said both Rishi Sunak’s administration and the media were at “rock bottom” and that it was harming British democracy.

The royal claimed the government was “scared” of alienating British newspapers “because position is power”, and in a scathing broadside accused journalists of having “blood” staining their “typing fingers”.

It prompted some Tory MPs to call for Harry to renounce his title, arguing he had broken the “golden rule” of royals not getting involved in politics.

Harry alleges that 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) gathered using unlawful methods. But lawyers for MGN suggested the royal’s claims of phone hacking are “in the realms of total speculation”.

You can read the full report here:

Harry launches scathing attack on ‘rock bottom’ government and ‘bloodstained’ press

Key moments from Prince Harry’s testimony

Tuesday 6 June 2023 20:20 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex’s historical appearance in a High Court witness box today revealed a host of claims about his life, the behaviour of the press and the impact of media scrutiny on him, as he sat through nearly five hours of questioning. Here are some of the key moments:

• Prince Harry said he felt “physically sick” over detective payments about Diana, stating that he was “shocked and appalled” by the number of payments made by MGN titles to private investigators, including eight in relation to his mother.

• Journalists’ alleged actions “affected every area” of duke’s life, he said, claiming that phone hacking and “other unlawful means” of obtaining private information about he and his associates not only created “a huge amount of distress but presented very real security concerns for not only me but also everyone around me”.

• Harry said he had ‘huge amount of paranoia’ after alleged press intrusion, and had lost friendships “entirely unnecessarily” due to the “paranoia” caused by alleged unlawful information-gathering.

• He accused the press having “blood” staining their “typing fingers”, with some responsible for causing pain, upset and death. He branded journalists the “mothership of online trolling”, saying: “People have died as a result and people will continue to kill themselves by suicide when they can’t see any other way out.”

• Calling on journalists “to expose those people in the media that have stolen or hijacked the privileges and powers of the press”, the royal claimed that the state of the UK’s press and government are both “at rock bottom”, claiming politicians are “scared to hold [the media] accountable”.

• The duke suggested that rumours his real father was Diana’s former lover James Hewitt were aimed at “ousting” him from the royal family, referring to a 2002 article in The People which reported a bid to steal a sample of the duke’s DNA to check his parentage.

• Harry alleged that former Mirror editor Piers Morgan had been intimidating him and his wife since he launched legal proceedings against the publisher, saying the presenter had subjected he and his wife “to a barrage of horrific personal attacks”.

• The duke was challenged in court over discrepancies between his autobiography Spare and his witness statement over whether he wanted to meet ex-royal butler Paul Burrell, whom he admitted branding a “two-faced shit”.

• Harry said he was “extremely worried” about being expelled from Eton after news articles about his use of illegal drugs.

Harry claims sources in royal stories can be ‘completely made up'

Tuesday 6 June 2023 19:49 , Andy Gregory

During cross-examination today, Prince Harry claimed that sources in royal stories are sometimes “completely made up”.

Asked by barrister Andrew Green about whether a statement being put out about a possible meeting between Harry, Prince William and their mother’s former butler Paul Burrell meant that royal advisers appreciated it was a “matter in the public interest”, the duke replied: “No, I don’t believe so.”

The barrister then took him to another article in a different publication about the possible meeting, written by royal commentator Robert Jobson, who Mr Green referred to as being regarded as a “royal specialist”.

Taking exception to that description, the duke said: “He is not regarded as a specialist, no.”

Asked about Mr Jobson’s story coming from his sources, Harry went on to say: “I wouldn’t necessarily call them sources. I’m not exactly sure what his connections are but, based on what he has written, they may be imaginary sources.”

The duke said he had not closely followed the press reporting of the story at the time, having been “in the middle of the Australian bush at the time”, adding: “Considering what I was trying to do ... get on with a gap year as a jackaroo, it wasn’t a priority.”

Asked further by Mr Green about Mr Jobson’s article, Harry said: “I would suggest based on the byline this whole article should be taken with a pinch of salt.”

In response to a further question from Mr Justice Fancourt about whether he meant sources in royal stories were “unreliable people” or that they did not exist, the duke replied: “From my experience, my lord, it differs.

“Sometimes the source is real and exists, and sometimes the source is completely made up.”

Harry quips about ‘workout’ from court papers as he gives evidence

Tuesday 6 June 2023 19:21 , Tony Jones, PA

The Duke of Sussex grappled with paperwork when he stepped into the witness box and was cross-examined over his claims tabloid newspapers used unlawful information-gathering for royal stories about him.

Harry was a measured, quiet and suited figure when he began giving evidence, with nearby barristers surrounded by boxes of folders.

He was afforded the courtesy of being called “Your Royal Highness” when first mentioned, after his barrister David Sherborne said protocol was something that “concerned” the High Court but was not an issue for Harry, whose “personal preference” was to be called “Prince Harry”.

The court looked more like a busy office, with computer screens on many of the tables, including Harry’s, and he spoke quietly at first, which left some on the press benches struggling to hear every word.

With newspaper articles examined line by line, page references for the bundles – the name for court documents – were given, but at times the royal struggled to find his place on the page.

Mr Green often asked “do you see that?” and the reply from the duke came back “no”.

After Harry appeared to quip about the bundles he was continually holding, saying “got me doing a workout”, it was suggested High Court staff could help him find references and he was later joined in the witness box by a helper.

Harry says he wants to ‘spare’ friends from testifying in court

Tuesday 6 June 2023 18:54 , PA

Earlier, the Duke of Sussex told the court that he wanted to “spare” his friends from the experience of giving evidence in court.

Harry faced questions over a January 2005 Daily Mirror article that reported his then girlfriend Chelsy Davy was “furious he flirted with a mystery brunette” at a party at which the duke wore a “nazi swastika armband” and that Ms Davy “gave him a tongue-lashing down the phone”.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said there was “nothing unlawful” about the article’s author speaking to people who were at the party, to which the duke replied: “No, if that’s indeed what she did.”

Mr Green told the court that one quote in the story was attributed to “a pal”, but it had been revealed that the source was Ms Davy’s uncle.

In his written witness statement, the duke said: “The article contains several quotes from ‘friends’ or other ‘partygoers’, but the details about our telephone communications are not attributed to anyone, so how could the defendant’s journalists know about this?”

Commenting on the quote attribution in court, Harry said it was “what I would do if I was doing something illegal”, adding that the article was trying to “distract” from the “true means of obtaining the information”.

Elsewhere in his witness statement, Harry said it “seems obvious” from call data relating to the mobile phone of Guy Pelly that journalists were “digging round my associates to gain private information about me”.

Mr Green asked if the duke was inferring that there was a message on Mr Pelly’s phone about him being given a tongue lashing, to which he replied: “Possibly.”

The MGN barrister asked a question over why Mr Pelly was not giving evidence, with Harry saying in reply that he wanted “to spare most of my friends from this experience”.

Prince Harry waves as he leaves court

Tuesday 6 June 2023 18:29 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex did not answer questions from reporters as he left the Rolls Building after giving evidence.

Harry smiled and gave a small wave to some people waiting outside as he exited at 4.53pm before getting into a Range Rover.

Any advantage of being ‘Prince Harry’ flipped on its head by tabloid coverage, duke suggests

Tuesday 6 June 2023 18:10 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex told the court today that “whatever advantage people claimed I had by walking into a room as ‘Prince Harry’ was immediately flipped on its head”.

In his witness statement, the duke said this was “because I was facing judgments and opinions based on what had been reported about me, true or not”, adding: “I expected people to be thinking ‘he’s obviously going to fail this test, because he’s a thicko’.

“It meant that I felt that I never went in at the same level as everybody else because the spotlight was always on me.”

The duke added: “Having seen me grow up from a baby, being born into this ‘contractual relationship’ without any choice, and scrutinised my every move, the tabloids have known the challenges and mental health struggles that I have had to deal with throughout my childhood and adult life, and for them to then play on that and use it to their own advantage, I think is, well, criminal.”

Harry later said: “There also seems to be a real blurring of the lines in terms of what is in the public interest and what is of interest to the public. The tabloids concentrated on salacious stories about my relationships and so on to satisfy the latter while appearing to completely ignore the former, as a means of justifying their intrusion.”

Sky News hires actor to portray Harry’s court testimony

Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:52 , Andy Gregory

Following Prince Harry’s appearance today, Sky News has hired an actor to portray a re-enactment of the Duke of Sussex in court.

Watch: Prince Harry leaves court after giving evidence in MGN battle

Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:38 , Andy Gregory

Court finishes for day as Harry’s voice cracks over ‘distressing’ Chelsy Davy story

Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:29 , Andy Gregory

The court finished for the day shortly after 4.30pm, with Mr Justice Fancourt telling Harry he must not discuss his evidence with anyone overnight.

Barrister Andrew Green KC concluded his cross-examination for the day by asking the duke about a 2005 article in the Sunday People about his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy being on her gap year.

The duke appeared emotional as he responded to a question from Mr Green about when he first saw the article.

Harry’s voice seemed to crack as he replied: “I can’t remember when I first saw this article, but having to look at it now and see the level of detail ... is extra distressing.”

Harry quizzed over memory of phone call with William about ‘two-faced s***’ Paul Burrell

Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:17 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has admitted he and his brother William disagreed about their mother’s former butler Paul Burrell as he was asked about an article of the type he said caused “distrust”, as he was asked about supposed discrepancies in his autobiography and witness statement.

In cross-examination, barrister Andrew Green KC, for MGN, asked Harry about an article published in December 2003 about a possible meeting between himself, William and Mr Burrell.

In the article Harry was said to be firmly against meeting Mr Burrell and described him as a “two-faced s***”, and the duke said: “Those are words that I used and I certainly left voicemails on my brother’s phone.”

Mr Green asked: “Using that phrase?”, to which Harry replied: “Yes.”

The barrister then asked about a discrepancy between the duke’s witness statement, in which he says he “didn’t want to hear” Mr Burrell’s reasons for selling some of Diana’s possessions and giving interviews about her, and his memoir Spare, in which he says he wanted to fly home from his gap year job in the Australian outback to meet the former butler.

Harry said there was a “rather large [time] gap” between the article and writing his book.

Asked by Mr Green whether his “true” position was that, at the time, he did or did not want a meeting with Mr Burrell, the duke replied: “I honestly can’t remember whether I wanted a meeting or not.”

The barrister asked: “Is it your position that you do actually remember leaving a voicemail on William’s phone saying that?”, to which the duke responded: “I was leaving voicemails for my brother and that is the terminology I used for Burrell.”

However, he said he did not specifically recall leaving William a voice message saying that.

Harry says thought of Piers Morgan ‘listening to Diana’s private messages’ makes him physically sick

Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:56 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has said the thought of Piers Morgan and reporters at the Daily Mirror “earwigging into my mother’s private and sensitive messages” made him “physically sick”.

The High Court phone hacking trial heard on Monday that letters between Princess Diana and former television entertainer Michael Barrymore about their “highly sensitive meetings” show her private exchanges had been intercepted.

In his written witness statement in court on Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex said he was “shocked, disgusted and appalled” when he was shown the letters and said it was “safe to assume” his mother and Mr Barrymore would have been exchanging voicemails about their private meetings.

Harry said: “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 and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour.”

My colleague Joe Middleton reports:

Harry says thought of Piers Morgan ‘listening to Diana’s messages’ makes him sick

Harry asked about school parade story quoting Eton spokesperson

Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:36 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been questioned about a three-line Mirror article in 2003 about him leading cadets at an Eton parade, which the barrister for Mirror Group Newspapers said stemmed from a St James Palace press release.

The MGN barrister said the Press Association news agency had reported about Harry leading the tattoo on the same day as the press release and had quoted an Eton spokesperson.

The court heard from Harry that he also complained about a Mirror article published on the same day about the same story.

He said he had brought a claim for damages over the articles “based on the legal advice that I have been given”.

In his written witness statement, he said of the journalist who wrote the second cadet parade story “that at least one of his bylined articles has previously been admitted by MGN to have been the product of unlawful information-gathering”.

Live: Outside London court where Prince Harry gave evidence on UK tabloids

Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:24 , Andy Gregory

Our video team has this live footage from outside the court where Prince Harry has been giving evidence in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers – becoming the first royal to undergo cross-examination in court in 130 years.

Barrister suggests Harry must ‘maintain focus’

Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:13 , Tara Cobham

A barrister has suggested Prince Harry must “maintain focus” as she speaks of how “tough” cross-examination is but also of how significant it is to a case.

Samantha Woodham, Barrister at 4PB, explained: “It will be crucial in Prince Harry’s case for him to succeed in respect of the particular allegations he is making, so maintain focus on those.”

She described cross-examination as “tough” and said: “Barristers often say that the height of their case is the moment immediately before their client takes the stand, because if weaknesses in a case are going to be exposed, it will be during cross-examination.”

‘False information’ put in articles ‘to put people off scent’, says Harry

Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:58 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex claimed that “a lot of false information” was put into articles “to put people like myself off the scent”.

He told the court this was done to “cover up the true unlawful means” and that while some elements were true, this was “clouded, shrouded” by the false information.

Harry rejects suggestion royal aide fed information to press

Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:57 , Tara Cobham

Under continuing cross-examination, the Duke of Sussex rejected a suggestion that a royal aide was behind information given to the press about his gap year experience in Australia.

Harry was questioned by Mr Green about an article entitled “Harry is ready to quit Oz” published in the Mirror in September 2003.

Mr Green said it appeared that information about Harry “watching TV and videos” – which the duke said in his written statement was a bid to avoid camera crews – came from aide Mark Dyer.

“It doesn’t appear that way,” the duke said, later adding: “I don’t accept that Mr Dyer was freely speaking to the press.”

Mr Green said to Harry that “the information that you are alleging came from voicemail interception or unlawful information-gathering … in fact came from your minders”.

Harry said he saw similarities in reports by other newspapers, adding that the coverage showed: “The level of interest and fascination with my life even when I’m in the middle of the Australian outback.”

Harry’s memoir shows ‘many routes’ for information about him to leak to media, says Mirror lawyer

Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:18 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has been pressed on a passage in his autobiography Spare which the Mirror publisher’s barrister suggested showed “there have always been many different routes” for information about him to find its way to the media.

In cross-examination, Andrew Green KC asked the duke about a section in the book in which he said “a school mate must have told someone who told someone” a story about him having a haircut which was subsequently reported by the press.

Harry told the court: “As a young man in my teenage years, I never suspected my phone was being hacked or those around me being hacked ... I could never have imagined it.”

He added that some of his book was written “with hindsight” and “based on my memories of that time in my life, firstly as a young man, secondly as a soldier in the army and thirdly as a husband and father”.

But Mr Green said the duke’s reference in his memoir to a school mate “reflects the reality that, because of who you are and were, there have always been many different routes by which information about you ... is and has been communicated to the press”.

Harry responded: “Now, some many years later, it seems that probably wasn’t the case and sadly a lot of those friends who I became paranoid with at the time, they are no longer friends.”

Harry denies entering ‘realms of total speculation’

Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:11 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has denied wandering into “the realms of total speculation” as he was grilled over an article he claimed was likely obtained through unlawful means by The Mirror – despite the story being reported by the Press Association news agency the previous day, which quoted a St James’s Palace spokesperson.

The duke said he was not aware that the information about his thumb in a November 2000 story titled: “Snap: Hary breaks thumb like William” had been reported by PA the previous day.

He was then asked whether he had expressed concerns to other media outlets that reported the same story at the time, including the BBC, to which he responded he had not because unlawful information-gathering was “not systemic” at those titles.

But Harry said he believed information in the Mirror article which was obtained through unlawful means included a paragraph stating that doctors had told him he could not play football for a few weeks, alleging that this had affected him as a “young man at school” who could not now “trust the doctors” there.

Asked if he believed details in the Mirror article by its then-royal editor Jane Kerr, who is due to give evidence on Wednesday, resulted from unlawful information-gathering, Harry replied: “I believe it was, either probably herself or she got someone else to do her dirty work for her.”

Pressed on whose phone he believes was hacked to find out the information, he said: “The doctor’s? I am not sure.”

Asked by barrister Andrew Green whether he was “not in the realms of total speculation”, Harry replied: “No, I do not believe so.”

Prince Harry suggests tabloid rumours James Hewitt is his father ‘were to oust him from royal family’

Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:54 , Andy Gregory

Earlier today, Prince Harry suggested to the court that tabloid rumours his biological father was James Hewitt were an attempt at ousting him from the Royal Family.

In his witness statement, Harry referred to an article in The People from 2002 with the headline “Plot to rob the DNA of Harry” which reported a bid to steal a sample of the duke’s DNA to check his parentage.

Diana had a five-year affair with cavalry officer Major James Hewitt between 1986 and 1991, with the princess publicly confessing to the relationship during her controversial BBC Panorama interview in 1995.

Harry described the stories about the rumours as “cruel”, saying he was 18 at the time of the article and had lost his mother just a few years earlier.

“They were hurtful, mean and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories,” he said. “Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the royal family?” My colleague Joe Middleton has the full report:

Harry claims tabloid James Hewitt rumours ‘were plan to oust him from royal family’

No evidence palace did not ‘freely’ give information for glandular fever article, says MGN lawyer

Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:41 , Andy Gregory

Royal spokespeople “rarely ever commented on private matters”, with public statements “only preserved for major events”, Prince Harry has told the court.

The Duke of Sussex made the comments amid questioning over a March 2002 article in the Daily Mirror about him contracting glandular fever, headlined, “Harry’s sick with kissing disease”.

Mirror Group Newspapers barrister Andrew Green said the article, which reported the diagnosis came before the duke’s annual ski trip with his father and brother, contains quotes from a palace spokeswoman about the duke taking doctors’ advice.

The MGN barrister said the story was covered in other newspapers, adding there was no evidence that information from the palace “was not put out freely”.

In his written witness statement, the duke said: “I do not believe that the palace put this information out freely.” In court, Mr Green said Harry was inviting the court to assume the article came from “nefarious activity” by a journalist.

Harry said he was “very suspicious” about information in the article, adding it was “highly personal” and “distressing”.

Harry grilled over article about he and William’s rock climbing trip

Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:26 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry is now being questioned about an article which reported that he and his brother were going rock climbing rather than attending a gala for the late Queen Mother.

MGN lawyer Andrew Green KC asked Harry if it was his case that came from unlawful voicemail interception, and asked whose phone the duke believed was hacked in order to get that information – to which Harry replied that “it could have been anyone, from myself, my brother” or two other people.

Asked which information he thought had been obtained unlawfully, Harry said: “There’s quite a lot of aspects, quotes and information in there, not to mention a large part of the reason we were going rock climbing 270 miles away was to get away from press intrusion.”

Harry said he was but that it was “impossible to believe” MGN’s denial that one if its suppliers was involved in any unlawful information-gathering given the level of interest in him as well as in the royal family, and how “desperate journalists were for anything royal”.

Mr Green then referred to a Daily Mail article about the same rock climbing trip, published two days before the Mirror article, which said Buckingham Palace had confirmed the princes’ absence from the gala.

Harry said the palace would have answered “in response to a question, which one might be suspicious about, I suggest”.

Mr Green then put to Harry that a Mail On Sunday article published the day before the Mirror one was “in substance, the very same private information that you are complaining about in the Daily Mirror, isn’t it?”, to which the duke replied: “It is one element of it, yes.”

Given these two articles in the days prior to the Mirror story, the barrister asked whether the duke still questioned how the information was in the public domain, to which Harry replied: “Yes, I do.”

The duke said that, based on his understanding of how the press operate, just because information was already in the public domain did not mean there was not “an attempt to take the story further”, adding: “A lot of work would have been done on people’s mobile phones within those two days.”

High Court back in session

Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:08 , Andy Gregory

The High Court is now back in session after breaking for lunch, with the Duke of Sussex returning to the witness stand as Mirror Group Newspapers make their way through news articles submitted by his lawyers as evidence.

Stay out of politics, furious Tory MPs tell ‘unwise’ and ‘embarrassing’ Harry

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:55 , Andy Gregory

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Senior Tory MPs have told The Independent that Prince Harry should stay out of British politics after his extraordinary attack on the “rock bottom” government and media.

Former minister Andrea Jenkyns said: “If Harry has got such contempt for the British government and the British media then it’s a good job he lives in America. He shouldn’t be intervening in British politics – that’s not his role.”

Henry Smith, a member of the Tory Common Sense Group, said: “I feel sorry for hardworking royals that Harry continues to cause so much embarrassment,” adding: “Sussex is disappointed with its absent Duke.”

The MP told The Independent: “It’s very unwise of him to stray into British political comment – but if he wants to he should renounce his title and stand for election. Sussex is disappointed with its absent Duke.”

Another senior Tory MP said Harry had broken the “golden rule” of commenting on politics, saying royals “do not comment on politicians and politicians do not comment on royals”.

Quotes from Harry’s memoir put to him in court as he is quizzed on ‘public interest’ in royal drug-taking

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:44 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry was quizzed over whether he agreed there was a “public interest” in an heir to the throne taking illegal drugs.

Pointing to a Sunday Mirror article published in January 2002, headlined “Harry took drugs”, Mirror Group Newspapers lawyer Andrew Green said it was the News Of The World newspaper that “broke the story” about the duke smoking cannabis, to which Harry said: “The untrue story, yes.”

Mr Green said the News Of The World had contacted the duke’s father’s office about the story, and “the palace” had “cooperated” with the coverage via “spin doctor” Mark Bolland. When asked whether this was the source of information in the Sunday Mirror, Harry said: “I wasn’t the one that wrote the article so you will have to asked the journalists.”

Extracts from Harry’s memoir Spare were read out in court by the MGN barrister, in which the duke complained of there being a “putrid strategy” to “spin me right under the bus” over the News Of The World piece.

In court, the duke said the News Of The World story was a “red rag to a bull” for newspapers, with editors asking “why didn’t you get this” and saying “make this into an exclusive for ourselves”.

Harry said the incident was “less about what’s in the story itself” but “the activity behind the scenes”, referring to the alleged use of private investigators to secure information. “The Sunday Mirror was on the back foot and therefore did everything they could,” the duke claimed.

Mr Green then asked Harry if he accepted it was a matter of public interest someone in line to the throne was allegedly taking drugs. The duke replied that there was a difference “between public interest and what interests the public”, adding of the story: “Every element of it was distressing”.

Harry says drug stories left him ‘extremely worried’ about being expelled from Eton

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:35 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has revealed that he was “extremely worried” he would be expelled from Eton as a result of articles claiming he had been at parties involving illegal drugs.

Referring to a story headlined, “Harry’s Cocaine Ecstasy and GHB Parties”,the Duke of Sussex said in his witness statement: “This article, along with the [News of the World] coverage, had a huge impact on my life.

“Eton had a zero drugs policy in place, and I was extremely worried I was going to be expelled.”

Discussing a January 2002 article, Harry said: “What’s notable to me in this article when reading it now are the quotes attributed to my father, including that he was ‘worried sick’ and ‘hugely relieved’ when I told him I had only used cannabis.

“My father didn’t make any direct comment to the press, a statement was made by the palace in response to the News Of The World story. This was handled by a tight, small team internally, so it is not clear to me where the defendant’s journalists could possibly have obtained these quotes from.”

He added: “These articles were also written at a time when there had been an agreement between the press and the royal family, following the death of my mother, that my brother and I should be able to go through our education without constant scrutiny and interruption.

“It seemed to me there was never any let up in the press coverage of every detail of my childhood, by the defendant’s journalists and others.”

Prince Harry: ‘Shocking’ articles saw me singled out as ‘p***y’ at school and in military

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:27 , Andy Gregory

The Duke of Sussex said he was singled out as a “p***y” by his peers following press reports of his injuries during his time at school and Sandhurst.

In his witness statement, Harry said an article in the Sunday Mirror from November 2001, which covered an injury the duke had received while playing polo and medical advice that he should stop playing rugby, was “shocking”.

The duke said: “I find it shocking that the article reveals such specific, detailed and private medical information including the advice that my doctors had given me, especially as this is not the kind of information I was freely revealing to anyone, especially not my class mates.

“I suffered injuries, just like everyone else that was playing a lot of sport at school, but it was only my injuries that were being splashed across national newspapers, nobody else in my class was enduring this treatment.

“I wasn’t reading these stories, but others at school were and I was treated differently as a result. This happened at school and later when I was at Sandhurst.

“I was often singled out for being a ‘sick note’ or a ‘p***y’ because articles like this made routine injuries seem like such a big deal.”

Police and Government ‘scared to hold press accountable'

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:12 , Tara Cobham

Harry made a general comment about the power of the press and claimed the police and Government were “scared to hold them accountable”.

He said in his witness statement: “My view is how can anybody possibly trust a media organisation, that enjoys the liberties of free press, when their own legal people and Board covers up the truth?

“When they have the powers that they have, and where even the police and the government are scared to hold them accountable or seek justice against them, they can truly believe they are above the law. And if they’re above the law, then it’s the general public that suffer. It’s really that simple.”

The duke also criticised the large number of journalists, whose articles formed the basis of his complaint, who were not appearing at the Hight Court.

Harry said in his statement: “Although I understand that they are not obliged to come and give evidence, I find it absolutely appalling that these people refuse to do so or subject themselves to cross examination especially as I have been forced to relive a horrific period in my life in order to prepare this witness statement and will be only too pleased to subject myself to cross examination in Court.

“Their cowardice speaks volumes, and I don’t understand how they are allowed to hide.”

Harry ‘disgusted’ when shown mother’s letters to Michael Barrymore

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:11 , Tara Cobham

The Duke of Sussex said in his witness statement that he was “shocked, disgusted and appalled” when he was shown three handwritten letters from his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, to entertainer Michael Barrymore.

He said: “They are dated 23 March, 25 April and 2 June 1997 respectively and convey my mother’s concerns for Mr Barrymore’s well-being and kindly offering him a shoulder to cry on.”

The court previously heard that Diana and Mr Barrymore had private meetings while the entertainer was “struggling” due to factors including treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

The court was also previously told that former Mirror editor Piers Morgan referred to hearing rumours about the meetings between Diana and Mr Barrymore in his book The Insider.

In his written evidence, the duke said that it was “safe to assume” that his mother and Mr Barrymore would have been exchanging voicemails about their private meetings.

Harry said: “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 and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour.”

Harry describes ‘barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan'

Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:00 , Tara Cobham

In his witness statement, Harry attacked Piers Morgan who left Good Morning Britain for saying he did not believe claims made by the Duchess of Sussex during her and Harry’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.

The duke alleged Mr Morgan, the former editor of the Daily Mirror, had been intimidating him and his wife since he launched legal proceedings against the publisher of the Mirror newspaper.

Harry said in his statement: “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, who was the editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, presumably in retaliation and in the hope that I will back down, before being able to hold him properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards both me and my mother during his editorship.”

‘Vast majority’ result of some unlawful activity, believes Harry

Tuesday 6 June 2023 12:58 , Tara Cobham

The duke told the court his understanding is that there have been a “huge number” of private investigator invoices uncovered from around the time of articles that appeared, and said he believed the “vast majority” of stories that appeared were the result of some unlawful activity.

He said he understood that the “competitiveness of newspapers” at the time meant journalists were told “to go and find a different version of that story” or an exclusive angle.

Asked whether he was basing his complaints about MGN articles on invoices, he said: “My understanding is that during this period the hacking was done on burner phones so there is no call data and most of the evidence has been destroyed, so I have little to go on.”

MGN journalists used unlawful methods to get ‘exclusive’ angles on existing stories - Harry

Tuesday 6 June 2023 12:56 , Tara Cobham

In response to a number of questions from Andrew Green KC about why Harry has complained of articles in MGN titles when the same information had previously been put into the public domain by other media outlets, the duke said his understanding was that MGN journalists used unlawful methods to get “exclusive” angles on existing stories or to move the story on in some way.

Answering one question, he said: “You would have to ask the journalists themselves how they got this.” He also said he understood one of the companies used by MGN was “regularly used and connected to phone hacking”.

The duke said his understanding came from his legal team or “through legal paperwork”, including private investigator invoices, he had seen.

He said in some instances he had been shown it was “not the invoices themselves but the company behind the invoices”. Asked further about invoice evidence, Harry said: “Again, that is a question for my legal team, I can only go on what I know.”

Mr Green at one point asked the duke if his legal team had prepared his witness statement, shown him it, and he had “simply signed it”, to which Harry replied: “Absolutely not.”

He added that private investigator invoices from around the time of articles were “highly suspicious”, adding: “As well as missed calls and other dropped calls before and after and around the time of these articles themselves.”

Who is James Hewitt, the officer who had an affair with Princess Diana?

Tuesday 6 June 2023 12:50 , Tara Cobham

As Prince Harry attends court in another privacy case, this time brought against the Mirror Group, every aspect of modern royal drama has been under additional scrutiny.

This includes those surrounding the royal family – past and present – such as James Hewitt.

Military man Major James Hewitt was embroiled in one of the biggest royal scandals of the last century, when he had an affair with the Princess of Wales, Diana, during her marriage to Prince Charles.

Well-known to those who lived through the press frenzy of the era, Diana’s and Hewitt’s affair hit all the headlines – especially after the affair was confirmed by the princess herself in her BBC Panorama interview.

But may not know much else about Hewitt and how he came to be caught up in a royal drama.

Jade Bremner reports.

James Hewitt, the officer who had an affair with Princess Diana

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website