Prince Harry’s Latest Court Win Proves His Candid Testimonies Were All Worth It
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If you’ve kept up with Prince Harry this year, then you know that the royal has been in a long-winded trial against Mirror Group Newspapers, aka the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Daily Record, Sunday Mirror and The People. Among the accusations made by the royal are that the publisher, from years of 1991 to 2011, acquired information in unlawful ways such as phone-hacking and wire-tapping.
And, after months of trial, and a 49-page witness statement from Harry himself, which was obtained by the New York Times, the Duke of Sussex has prevailed. On Dec. 15, London’s High Court ruled in Harry’s favor and was sentenced to be awarded $180,000 for damages for 15 of the 33 articles in question, People reports.
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“This case is not just about hacking, it’s about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior, followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings,” Harry’s lawyer David Sherbourne said in a statement outside the courthouse.
“I hope that the court’s finding will serve as a warning to all media organizations who have employed these practices and then similarly lied about it,” Sherbourne continued. “My commitment to seeing this case through is based on my belief in our need and collective right to a free and honest press. The mission continues.”
And while the news of the win will surely have Harry beaming from ear to ear today, we’re sure there’s a sense of relief along with that too. After all, Harry was surprisingly candid in his almost 50-page statement, with memories of his previous relationship with Chelsy Davy, his reaction to the rumors he wasn’t King Charles’ real son, and so on.
“It is no secret that I have had, and continue to have, a very difficult relationship with the tabloid press in the UK,” he wrote at the beginning of the statement in June. “In my experience as a member of the Royal Family, each of us gets cast into a specific role by the tabloid press. You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have.”
Harry continued, “They then start to edge you towards playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible, especially if you are the ‘spare’ to the ‘heir.’ You’re then either the ‘playboy prince,’ the ‘failure,’ the ‘drop-out’ or, in my case, the ‘thicko,’ the ‘cheat,’ the ‘underage drinker,’ ‘irresponsible drug taker,’ the list goes on.”
In one moment, Harry then remembered his relationship with Davy, someone who was scared off with the royal life due to the media’s unrelenting intrusions. “Chelsy Davy, a former girlfriend of mine. We met in about early 2004 and were in a relationship which continued, on and off, until around mid-2010,” Harry remembered.
“Our relationship was long distance for the majority of the time we were together, with Chelsy and I often living in different countries, so we relied on communicating by phone a lot,” he wrote. “We, naturally, spoke about all types of personal matters, including all aspects of our relationship and this was often through voicemail. As my girlfriend, I trusted Chelsy with the most private of information and vice versa.” That trust, of course, was later questioned when private information from them was leaked to the press.
Of course, his and Davy’s relationship is just one of the many topics Harry had to dive into as part of the trial. We’re just glad it was all worth it now.
Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.
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