ENGLAND: Prince Harry’s testimony at a pre-trial hearing on phone hacking is an honest self-portrait of anger, offence, and obsession. He believed that tabloid news portrayed him as a “thicko,” “cheat,” “underage drinker,” and “irresponsible drug taker”.
Harry believed the public has turned against him due to his conflicts with the tabloid press. He is prepared to end the taboo around a royal testifying in court by providing direct testimony in person.
Harry has the resources and tenacity to compete directly with the media, and News Group Newspapers has rejected his assertions. Harry is willing to go the distance, calling their actions “utterly vile,” “disgusting, immoral, and a complete abuse of power,” and having a “devastating impact” on his mental health.
Harry is accusing the media elite of fostering a “stalemate society” by infuriating the public over trivial things. He alleges that stories were based on information obtained unlawfully, which is related to his grieving at the loss of his mother, anger at his brother, outrage at press coverage, concerns for his family, and displeasure in his father for trying to keep the tabloids on the side.
Prince William and the owners of the Sun and News of the World agreed to a settlement to settle a hacking claim, which would make it impossible for them to claim that Prince Harry’s legal case was too late. However, the timing of the settlement was perceived as throwing stones under the parade and upsetting the royal narrative.
Prince Harry is travelling to London to support his father, while Prince William’s deal is related to the hacking case. Tina Brown, a royal commentator, believes Harry and William are completely alienated and will not interact with each other at the Coronation. Their partnership is currently iced over.
Prince William’s settlement over hacking should not be seen as a covert agreement but rather as a private resolution of a claim. He was instrumental in identifying the risk in 2005, and it is possible that Prince Harry and Prince William have been acting in good faith on their own.
Prince Harry’s perspective on how the Palace dealt with the tabloid press and their power dynamics was significantly altered by the court proceeding, which revealed a financial arrangement with the Murdoch press.
The disclosure of passive-aggressive emails from the Palace showed a growing sense of annoyance at the lack of response or interest in working towards a solution. A senior royal official wrote to the head of what was then News Corporation, complaining that following a productive meeting, they were disappointed not to receive an acknowledgement or reply. This shattered any pretence of deference.
Prince Harry’s legal team cites evidence of a “secret agreement” between royal officials and the media group to handle royal hacking cases after resolving other claims.
The assertion by Prince Harry that he was prohibited from pursuing his claim earlier is based on a secret arrangement with News Group Newspapers.The legal team for News Group Newspapers argued that the agreement did not exist and the claim was “without merit in fact or in law”. There may also be variations in the way things are described.
Buckingham Palace is “nerved” about being questioned in public, as they spent years dissecting a single Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew. King Charles has become embroiled in family disputes that have the potential to escalate during the Coronation week, which should have been a week of royal cohesion.
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