Prince Harry Claims That The Royal Family ‘Withheld’ Information About His Phone Being Hacked In New Court Filing: ‘Without Doubt’
April 1, 2023 by Maria Pierides
Prince Harry has accused the royal family of withholding information related to phone hacking from him, as he claims they were afraid it could “open up a can of worms” if he were to make any claims against the press.
The claims were made in a witness statement issued prior to his surprise appearance at the High Court this week in London, as he pursues his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the company that publishes the well-known newspapers The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and Metro, among others.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, is suing the company over claims of illegal information gathering, and is joined by other famous individuals such as Elton John, Sadie Frost, and Elizabeth Hurley who have accused them of bugging their homes and cars with listening devices. In his statement, the Duke of Sussex went into detail about his history with the British press and how he was “conditioned” to accept things as they were.
“Following the death of my mother in 1997 when I was 12 years old and her treatment at the hands of the press, I have always had an uneasy relationship with the press,” Prince Harry said in his statement. “However, as a member of the institution, the policy was to ‘never complain, never explain.’ There was no alternative; I was conditioned to accept it. For the most part, I accepted the interest in my performing my public functions.”
The subject of phone hacking of the royal family dates back decades, as the late Princess Diana revealed that she thought her Kensington Palace phone was bugged in the personal letters that sold at auction a few months ago. In one of her deeply personal letters to her friends Susie and Tarek Kassem, she wrote: “As I don’t have a mobile [phone] it is difficult to discuss personal items, as my lines here are constantly recorded and passed on.”
Prince Harry went on to explain how his viewpoint changed after meeting Meghan Markle, 41, and seeing how she was treated by the tabloids, especially after they had their first child, Prince Archie, who will celebrate his fourth birthday on May 6th, the same day as King Charles’ coronation, which they may or may not be at!
He even said that he realized he had a valid claim against the company as far back as 2018, however the Duke of Sussex did not realize the true depth of the issue until he and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in 2020.