On Friday, December 15, Prince Harry obtained an order from the publisher of the British tabloid Daily Mirror to pay him 140,600 pounds sterling (or approximately 164,000 euros) in damages for articles resulting from the hacking of telephone messages.
The judge estimated that fifteen of the thirty-three disputed articles retained in the procedure were the result of hacking into the messaging system of the youngest son of King Charles III or his entourage as well as other illicit processes.
He estimated that Prince Harry’s cell phone messaging had been hacked “to a modest extent.” The magistrate further highlighted Prince Harry’s “tendency” to believe that “everything published was the product of voicemail interceptions” as this practice “prevailed within the Mirror Group at the time”. But this practice was “not the only journalistic tool at the time.” He also highlighted “the distress” Harry suffered “as a result of the illegal activity directed against him and his loved ones”.
Prince Harry welcomed, through his lawyer, this conviction which is, according to him, a “warning” addressed to the tabloid press. “The judgment rendered today vindicates me and gives me confidence,” declared on behalf of the Duke of Sussex his lawyer, David Sherborne, in a very virulent press release. “This is not just a case of hacking: it concerns a systemic practice of illegal and abhorrent behavior, followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence,” he added, saying he and his family have been victims in recent years of “defamation,” “intimidation tactics” and “journalistic vendetta.”
Use of private detectives
During the trial, the youngest son of King Charles III testified for eight hours over two court days in June. It was the first appearance of a member of the royal family at the bar since that of the future Edward VII in 1891 for a libel trial.
The 39-year-old prince has a tenacious resentment towards the tabloid press, which he holds responsible for the death of his mother, Diana, chased by paparazzi, in Paris, in 1997. He also blames it for what he calls of harassment against his wife, Meghan, and of having responsibility for the poor relations he has with his family.
Harry accused the publisher of the Daily Mirror of hacking and illegal collection of information, in particular by using private detectives.
The group rejected the vast majority of the accusations, notably contesting any hacking of voicemail boxes. But he had recognized some illicit processes – for five of the thirty-three articles published between 1996 and 2009 retained in the procedure – notably the use of a private detective regarding a nightclub outing in 2004, and had apologized to the prince.
