Prince Harry Arrives at London Court for Second Day on Witness Stand

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The Duke of Sussex is suing in Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged unlawful information gathering

<p>ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images</p> Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

Prince Harry is back in court for a second day of cross-examination.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, was greeted by his attorney David Sherborne as he arrived at the High Court in London on Wednesday wearing a dark suit and light gray tie. Harry arrived by car shortly before 9:55 a.m. local time and took the stand at 10:28 a.m.

Prince Harry is giving evidence supporting his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). He filed the suit in 2019, alleging that his phone voicemails were hacked using unlawful information gathering. MGN, who is the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Daily Express and more, denies the allegations.

Wednesday's cross-examination continued MGN’s lawyer Andrew Green questioning Prince Harry regarding specific stories that are accused of containing information obtained by unlawful methods. Many of the stories examined on the second day of Harry's testimony concerned his relationship with former girlfriend Chelsey Davy.

<p>ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images</p>

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

While discussing a 2005 article about Prince Harry delaying his entry to Sandhurst because of an injury, Green showed that the information was released by the palace. Harry argued that the piece was "littered with inaccuracies" but said that their reporting that he was in the computer room emailing Davy for 15 minutes every day was correct.

Harry said he believed that Mirror group "had Chelsy's phone number at this time." He added that Davy's number was found in the phone of a "prolific hacker" and said he was "not entirely sure my girlfriend would have given Mirror Group her number."

A 2006 piece reported that Prince Harry visited a Spearmint Rhino strip club, reportedly making Davy upset.

"My girlfriend’s number was bizarrely in the hands of Mirror journalists," Harry said on the witness stand. "Very suspicious that they had her number […] I don't believe she would give any journalist her number."

When asked if he thought that MGN had gotten a hold of Davy's phone records, Prince Harry answered "yes" but added that he believed "most of the evidence has been destroyed."

<p>Neil Mockford/GC Images</p> Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

Neil Mockford/GC Images

Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

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Prince Harry also talked about a different article about a "make-or-break holiday" in Mozambique with Davy.

"Deeply concerned that would be published in advance," Harry said. "Another classic example of a story 'incentivizing' reporters to go and find out as much as possible."

Regarding a 2009 article about Prince Harry alleging trying to win Chelsy Davy back after a breakup, the Duke of Sussex was asked if he was aware that people close to Davy were talking about her to the media. Harry replied that he doubted that was happening.

When asked about a transcript of one of Davy's friends speaking to the media, Prince Harry said he would "question the validity of this." Harry claims that it was taken from "a false e-mail to hide the true nature of how [MGN] got the information."

Prince Harry appeared more assertive in his testimony on the second day of questioning, confidently responding to Green's questioning.

After answering questions from his own attorney and the judge, Mr. Justice Fancourt, Prince Harry left the witness stand. He remained in court and listened to journalist Jane Kerr's evidence.

When he left the court, Prince Harry gave a thumbs up.

<p>Adrian DENNIS / AFP</p> Prince Harry

Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Prince Harry

On Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex underwent almost five hours of questioning by Green after taking the stand and giving his oath on the Bible.

Harry, who was first addressed in court as "the Duke of Sussex" and then subsequently as "Prince Harry," said that "every single article has caused me distress," claiming that the behavior of people around him changed due to the contents of the articles.

Stating that "newspapers are always in every palace, unfortunately," Prince Harry said he "saw a lot of articles at the time, and the ones I didn't see, I was made aware of by the reaction of other people.”

He added that tabloids have "blood on their hands" for the pain they've caused.

At one point, Green pointed to an article published in 2000 about Prince Harry going to a London gastropub, saying that there were other ways the newspaper might have learned about the outing other than via unlawful methods, such as a member of the public reporting the information.

Prince Harry said, "I do not believe that as a witness it's my job to deconstruct the article or be able to answer which parts are unlawfully obtained and which aren't. I think the journalist themselves should be doing that."

<p>James Veysey/Shutterstock</p> Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

James Veysey/Shutterstock

Prince Harry arrives at court for a second day on the witness stand

RELATED: Prince Harry's Witness Statement Includes a Mistake About Father King Charles

Regarding a story about Prince Harry breaking his thumb while at school, the Duke of Sussex said in the witness statement that the "level of detail" in the story was "just surprising." When Green asked him whose phone had been hacked to obtain the information, Harry suggested it had been the doctor's phone before adding that he "can't be sure."

When Green said that Harry was now in the "realms of total speculation," the prince replied, "I don’t believe so." He added that the "journalist would hopefully be able to shed some light on how she got that information."

After a lunch break, Green said a story about Prince Harry contracting glandular fever quoted a palace spokesperson and appeared in articles from other newspapers. "I see the similarities...but anything else would be speculation," Harry said on the witness stand.

Green also questioned a story about Prince Harry being named a godfather to his former nanny's child, as the news appeared in The Sunday Times a week before the article in question.

"Again, I see the similarities," Harry said.

PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

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In his 55-page witness statement released Tuesday, Harry said that "tabloids would routinely publish articles about me that were often wrong but interspersed with snippets of truth, which I now think were most likely gleaned from voicemail interception and/or unlawful information gathering."

"I genuinely feel that in every relationship that I’ve ever had — be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there’s always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press," he said in the witness statement.

"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."

Among those named in the witness statement as people Harry regularly exchanged voice messages with were his brother Prince William, his father King Charles, his late mother Princess Diana and his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

King Charles' younger son made history when he took the stand against the newspaper group on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, he became the first prominent member of the British royal family to give evidence in court in 130 years. The last royal to do so was King Edward VII, who testified as a witness in a divorce case in 1870 and again in a slander trial over a card game in 1890 before becoming King.

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