Prince Harry said his decision to fight the tabloids was a “centerpiece” in the deterioration of his relationship with his family.
The Duke of Sussex won a privacy case against Mirror Group newspapers in December last year after a judge ruled your phone was hacked by the Daily Mirror.
Harry became the first British royal in 130 years to give evidence in court after opening the privacy case.
It is understood his decision was not supported by other members of the Royal Family.
Months before Harry won the privacy case, it was discovered that his brother Prince William resolved phone hacking complaint against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers in 2020 for a “very large sum”.
Speaking to ITV’s Tabloids On Trial documentary, which will be shown on Thursday, Harry was asked whether his determination to fight the tabloid press contributed to a widely publicized feud within the Royal Family.
He replied: “Yes, that is certainly a centerpiece. But, you know, it’s a difficult question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.
“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did this as a family. I think, again, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, that these are the things we should do for the greater good. But, you know, I’m doing it for my reasons.”
When asked by ITV News’ Rebecca Barry what he thinks of his family’s decision not to face the press in the way they did, the Duke responds: “I think everything that’s happened has shown people what the truth of the matter is. . For me, the mission continues, but yes, it does. It is caused, yes, as you say, part of a rupture.”
In the interview, Harry describes his court victory last year as “monumental”, after the High Court judge ruled that phone hacking was carried out by Mirror Group newspapers from 1996 to 2011, and had been “widespread and habitual” since 1998.
He said: “To get in there and come out and have the judge rule in our favor was obviously huge. But for him to go as far as he did in regards to, you know, it wasn’t just about individual people. I went straight to the top… it was the lawyers, it was the senior executives. And being able to achieve that in a trial is a monumental victory.
Looking at a headline from the time of the wiretap about his then-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, apparently preparing to split from him, the Duke says: “‘Harry’s girl will dump him’ – looks like they knew something even before of me.”
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Prince Harry also talks about his mother, Princess Diana, in the documentary and is asked if hacking made him paranoid.
He responds: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, so it could be paranoia, but when you justify it, it proves that you weren’t being paranoid.
“You know, there’s evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-90s, probably one of the first people to be hacked and even today, the press, the tabloid press really likes to paint her as being paranoid. She wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right about what was happening to her and she’s not around today to find out the truth.”
The interview comes as Prince Harry is also involved in two other cases, against News Group Newspapers and Associated Newspapers, where the allegations are vehemently denied.
In response to the ITV program, Mirror Group Newspapers said: “We welcome the December 2023 judgment which has given the company the clarity it needs to move forward from events that occurred many years ago.
“Where historic wrongdoings have occurred, we apologize unreservedly, take full responsibility and pay compensation.”
Tabloids On Trial will be broadcast on ITV at 9pm on Thursday.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
