Prince Harry harshly denounced the "despicable" British media for "ruining my youth", citing 5-hour newspapers | ranking | youth
On the 6th, Prince Harry of the UK filed a lawsuit against a British newspaper publisher for illegally collecting information in the High Court of London, making a statement and accepting cross examination by the defendant's lawyer. According to media reports, Harry became the first senior member of the British royal family to appear in the witness box in over 130 years.
According to Reuters, Harry, along with about 100 plaintiffs, has accused Mirror Group, the publisher of the British Daily Mirror, of illegally collecting information on a large scale through phone hacking and other means for a period of 20 years.
Harry took nearly 5 hours to provide evidence on the 6th and submitted a 50 page written statement to the court. In Harry's view, it was media such as The Daily Mirror that ruined his youth, disrupted his relationship with his ex girlfriend Cherie Davy, caused his social circle to shrink, and he himself fell into depression and paranoia.
Harry claimed to have been subjected to media hostility since 1996 and was labeled as a "flower prince" or "idiot". Such behavior by the media is extremely despicable.
Harry, who is now 38 years old, and Davy, who is 37 years old, have known each other since they were in school. According to the Associated Press, Davy is Harry's first official girlfriend, and most of the 33 articles in The Daily Mirror related to this case are related to Davy. According to The Times, Harry believed that media intervention led Davy to ultimately determine that "royal life was not suitable for her", which caused "incredible" distress for Harry at the time.
Harry and his lawyer David Sherborne also pointed the finger at Pierce Morgan, the then editor in chief of The Daily Mirror, who claimed that Harry's late mother Diana was also a victim of eavesdropping. Morgan is currently a well-known host under media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and firmly denies any involvement or knowledge of illegal activities such as phone hacking.
Defendant lawyer Andrew Green pointed out during his cross examination on the 6th that Harry's allegations were "completely speculative" and that the troubles he suffered were caused by all British media, not the Daily Mirror alone. In addition, there is no evidence to suggest that Harry was eavesdropped, and some of the private information disclosed by the media came from or was authorized by senior royal staff. According to the Associated Press, there is "too little specific evidence" provided by Harry to support his accusations.
The Times reported that this lawsuit is one of six lawsuits filed by Harry against British media and government. He attended a pre-trial hearing against the publisher of The Daily Mail in the High Court of London in March this year.
After breaking up with Davy, Harry married American actor Megan Markel. The two announced their departure from the British royal family in 2020 and moved to the United States, where they have two children. However, public opinion still regards Harry as a member of the British royal family, stating that he is the fifth in line heir to the throne. Harry was originally scheduled to make a statement to the parties on the 5th, but he was absent on the grounds of celebrating his daughter's birthday in the United States, which surprised presiding judge Timothy Vancott.
Due to Harry's previous self disclosure of drug use in his memoirs, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit in early May, demanding that the Department of Homeland Security disclose Harry's visa records and reassess whether his entry into the United States was appropriate. The plaintiff argues that US law typically does not allow individuals with a history of drug use to enter the country.
The lawsuit will be held in Washington, D.C. on the 6th. According to Agence France Presse, federal judge Karl Nichols requested the Department of Homeland Security to respond to Harry's visa records by the 13th.
