In recent testimony for his phone hacking case, Prince Harry admitted to having a “disagreement” with brother Prince William over how to deal with Princess Diana‘s former butler being “indiscreet” about his relationship with the late Princess of Wales.
The testimony came in reference to a 2003 article in The People that alleged he called Paul Burrell a “two-faced s—” in a phone argument with William about a potential meeting with the butler.
Disagreement Over Butler Just One Example Of William-Harry Discord
Harry told the court that the quote used in the The People article about the disagreement had to have been sourced from voicemail hacking: "I would have used the phrase 'two-face s---', as is reported, and believe this could have been lifted directly from a voicemail I had left." This was just one example of a private message intercepted by the media to provide sources for news stories.
It was also an example, too, of the ongoing discord between the two royal brothers. The main point of disagreement in the Paul Burrell situation was that, after the butler had been put on trial for allegedly selling Diana's possessions, Prince William had wanted to meet with him as "the only way to stop him selling more Diana secrets." However, Harry felt Burrell would simply use any meeting as an opportunity to earn money—the Prince told the High Court, "The article accurately sets out the position that my brother was open to fixing a meeting with Paul to discuss his ongoing exposés about our mother. However I had made up my mind about the kind of person I thought Paul was, and was firmly against meeting him. Both my brother and I had very strong feelings about how indiscrete Paul had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother's possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her."
Harry's barrister, David Sherborne—who once represented Princess Diana herself—remarked in court, "Even at this very early formative stage the seeds of discord between these two brothers are starting to be sown. Brothers can sometimes disagree but once it is made public in this way and their inside feelings revealed in the way that they are, trust begins to be eroded and paranoia sets in." In so many words: the leak of this private disagreement helped fuel future arguments, bringing the brothers to the frosty relationship they have today.
Prince Harry Attacks British Press: 'Put A Stop To This Madness'
The angry words for William back in 2003 weren't the only ones shared in court during Prince Harry's extensive testimony—the young royal also railed against the British Press, subject of the phone hacking trial. "How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?" asked Harry, referring to the journalists accused in the phone hacking scandal. The Prince also criticized the "state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom."
Harry's 55-page statement was released to the public after court adjourned. The Duke of Sussex joins three others who are providing witness testimony in the case; over a hundred other celebrities, including the estate of the late George Michael, are part of the legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers for alleged misuse of private information between 1991 and 2011 via phone hacking and intercepting voicemails.
