LONDON – LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry said his crusade against the British tabloids contributed to the rift with the royal family, according to a documentary that aired Thursday.
In his most extensive comments since got a big win last year When a judge found that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” in the UK’s Mirror Group newspapers, the Duke of Sussex told broadcaster ITV that he wished his family had joined him in his invasion of privacy litigation.
Harry said his ongoing battle with the tabloids in public – becoming the first senior royal in more than a century to testify in court – was a “centerpiece” to the fallout for his family.
“The mission continues, but, yes, it caused, as you said, part of a disruption,” Harry said on “Tabloids On Trial.”
Harry, 39, youngest son of King Charles III, broke with the family’s “never complain, never explain” attitude by taking the press to court.
His father opposed the litigation, Harry said in legal documents. He also revealed that his older brother William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, had secretly settled a complaint against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers for a “huge” sum.
Lawsuits, however, are not the only source of family friction.
Harry literally distanced himself from his relatives when he and his wife, Meghan, chose to leave real life to the US in 2020. They cited raids and a racist media attitude towards Meghan, who is biracial. The couple later suggested that there was racial prejudice within the royal family, an allegation that would likely have further alienated Harry earlier. his memoir, “Spare” removed all doubt that there was a split.
The duke said it was difficult to answer a question about their strained ties “”because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”
The program also features the actor Hugh Grantformer Prime Minister Gordon Brown and English football great Paul Gascoigne.
Grant, who is involved with the “Hacked Off” group to expose the impact of widespread dissemination phone hacking scandal which sank Murdoch’s News of the World in 2011, recently settled its lawsuit against the News Group for what it called “an enormous sum of money.”
Grant said he made the deal reluctantly because a court policy that discourages lengthy trials could leave him with a 10 million pound ($12.9 million) legal bill if he received anything less than the settlement offer.
Grant accused tabloid The Sun of illegally tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to spy on him, among other intrusions.
“I don’t hold any great grievances against the infantrymen, or against these guys who did these things, not against them,” Grant said in the documentary. “But I remain bitter and determined to demand justice from the executives who ordered these things. ”
Harry continues his fight. His case against the News Group is ongoing and he has a similar case pending against the editor of the Daily Mail, who disputes his claims.
The News Group issued an unreserved apology in 2011 to victims of voicemail interception by the News of the World, which closed its doors after a phone hacking scandal. NGN said it resolved 1,300 complaints relating to its newspapers, although The Sun never accepted responsibility.
Harry said he wished his family had stood up against media abuse for “the greater good”.
“But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons,” he said. “I think everything that happened showed people what the truth of the matter is.”
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