In court documents, Britain’s Prince Harry accused Buckingham Palace of withholding information about phone hacking from him and stated that he was exposing the alleged wrongdoing by tabloid “criminals” out of love for his country.
In a witness statement to London’s High Court, where he and six other figures are suing Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, for phone hacking and other privacy violations, Harry slammed the monarchy for its complicity with the tabloid press once more. He stated that the institution had made it clear that members of the royal family would not be allowed to testify in court because it “could open up a can of worms.”
In his statement, which was made public on Tuesday, he stated that he wanted to hold Associated accountable for “everyone’s sake.”
“I believe it is my duty to expose the full extent of this cover-up to the British public,” he said.
Last year, Harry, the younger son of King Charles, sued Associated, along with singer Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actors Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, whose son was murdered in a racist attack, and former lawmaker Simon Hughes.
They claim they were victims of “numerous unlawful acts” committed by journalists or private investigators working for Associated titles, the Daily Mail, and the Mail on Sunday.
According to their lawyers and court documents, these include hacking mobile phone messages, bugging phone calls, obtaining private information by deception or “blagging,” and “commissioning the breaking and entry into private property” over a possible 25-year period.
The allegations are categorically denied by Associated. It is attempting to have the case dismissed, claiming that the claims are out of time for legal action and that some violate an order made during a year-long public inquiry into press standards that began in 2011.
In a statement late on Monday, it said a private investigator, whose evidence was a key part of the case brought by Harry and the others, had now signed a witness statement denying the allegations he made to their lawyers. According to his statement, he now denies acting illegally on behalf of Associated.
‘CRIMINALS’
“The evidence I’ve seen shows that Associated’s journalists are criminals with journalistic powers, which should concern all of us,” said Harry, who has been in court with some of the other claimants for a four-day preliminary hearing in their case against Associated Newspapers.
When it was revealed in 2005 that the royal correspondent and a private investigator working for the defunct News of the World tabloid, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), were targeting the phones of royal aides, Harry said he was “vaguely” aware of phone hacking.
“In 2018, I became aware that I had a claim that I could bring against NGN,” he stated in his statement.
“However, there was an agreement in place between the Institution and NGN that we would not engage in, or even discuss, bringing claims against NGN until the litigation relating to phone hacking was completed.”
“The Institution was unquestionably withholding information about NGN’s phone hacking from me for a long time.”
His latest allegations follow similar attacks on the royals in his memoir “Spare,” as well as a six-part Netflix documentary series about him and his wife Meghan, in which he claimed members of his family conspired with the press to protect or enhance their own reputations.
Buckingham Palace has yet to respond to any of the allegations.
The lawsuit is one of three at the High Court in which the British prince is involved. He is also suing the Mail for libel and is scheduled to testify as a witness in a trial against the Daily Mirror newspaper over allegations of phone hacking in May.
