Prince Harry a no-show on first day of court showdown with British tabloid publisher

Prince Harry was absent on the first day of his court battle against the British tabloid publisher, the Daily Mirror, much to the dissatisfaction of the judge. The Duke of Sussex’s lawyer explained that he couldn’t testify after the opening statements due to his departure from Los Angeles following his daughter Lilibet’s birthday. Justice Timothy Fancourt expressed surprise, as he had instructed Harry to be present for the trial’s commencement. Andrew Green, the lawyer representing Mirror Group Newspaper, expressed deep concern over Harry’s absence.

Originally scheduled to testify on Tuesday, Harry’s lawyer was informed last week that the duke should attend Monday’s proceedings at London’s High Court in case the opening statements concluded early. This trial is the first of several lawsuits brought by Prince Harry against the media, specifically tabloid publishers, alleging unlawful intrusion. It is one of three cases in which Harry claims that tabloids engaged in unethical practices to obtain information about the royal family.

As a member of the British royal family, Prince Harry’s court appearance holds historical significance, as he is the first royal in over a century to testify in court. His testimony is anticipated to describe the toll the media has taken on his life, as well as its impact on those around him. Harry attributes the car crash that claimed the life of his mother, Princess Diana, to the paparazzi. He also alleges that the relentless harassment and invasive actions of the UK press, including the publication of allegedly racist articles, drove him and his wife, Meghan, to leave their royal duties and relocate to the United States in 2020.

The trial focuses on articles published by the Daily Mirror, dating back to Harry’s 12th birthday in 1996. These articles reported on Harry’s emotional state following his parents’ divorce, involving King Charles III, formerly known as Prince Charles. In court documents, Harry expressed his growing distrust of friends and associates, suspecting them of leaking information to the tabloids. This resulted in a smaller circle of friends and significant emotional struggles, including depression and paranoia. Eventually, Harry discovered that the source of the leaks was aggressive journalists and private investigators who hacked his phone and invaded his privacy, even tracking him to remote locations.

Mirror Group Newspapers denies hacking Harry’s phone, claiming their articles were based on legitimate reporting methods. While the publisher admitted to hiring a private investigator to gather information about one of Harry’s nights out at a bar, the specific article titled “Sex on the beach with Harry” is not among the 33 articles in question during the trial.

Phone hacking, which involved unauthorized access to celebrities’ voicemail messages through security codes, was prevalent in British tabloids during the early 2000s. The industry faced a crisis in 2011 when it was revealed that the News of the World had hacked the phone of a murdered 13-year-old girl. As a result, Rupert Murdoch closed down the newspaper, and several executives faced criminal trials. Mirror Group has paid over 100 million pounds ($125 million) to settle numerous unlawful information-gathering claims and issued an apology to phone hacking victims in 2015. However, the publisher denies that its executives, including former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, had knowledge of the hacking.

Prince Harry’s frustrations with the UK press and sometimes even his own royal relatives, whom he believes colluded with the media, are evident in his memoir, “Spare,” as well as interviews conducted by Oprah Winfrey and others. During the trial, Harry’s claims will face scrutiny from Mirror Group’s attorney during cross-examination.

The opening statements mark the second phase of the trial, where Prince Harry and three other claimants, including actors from the soap opera “Coronation Street,” accuse the Mirror of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering. Two judges, including Justice Timothy Fancourt overseeing the current trial, are currently deliberating whether Harry’s other two phone hacking cases should proceed to trial.

News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and Associated Newspapers Ltd., which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, argue that the cases should be dismissed due to Harry’s failure to file the lawsuits within the six-year statutory deadline after discovering the alleged wrongdoing. However, Harry’s lawyer argues that an exception to the time limit should be granted to him and the other claimants because the publishers deliberately deceived and concealed their illegal actions.

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• Prince Harry’s Court Trial Against Daily Mirror Publisher
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• Mirror Group Newspapers and Allegations of Phone Hacking
• Historical Significance of Prince Harry’s Court Testimony
• Exploring the Phone Hacking Cases Involving Prince Harry