Prince Harry will take the witness stand on Tuesday as his years-long battle with the British tabloids reaches its most dramatic stage yet.
The royal is preparing to face questions in a London court as part of her case against a publishing group.
But the judge in the case said he was “a little surprised” that Harry did not appear in court on Monday for the latest hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
Harry arrived in the UK on Sunday evening after catching a flight from Los Angeles, the prince’s lawyer David Sherborne said in court on Monday. According to Sherborne, Harry attended his daughter’s birthday on Sunday.
The appearance of a member of British royalty on a witness stand will be an exceptionally rare event. But Harry has long protested the tabloid media’s tactics in covering his life, and now he will have the opportunity to present his arguments, under oath, during cross-examination by MGN lawyers.
It’s likely to be a tense and final look for the duke as he goes his own way, setting himself apart from the rest of the royal family.
What is the case about?
The Duke of Sussex and three other plaintiffs representing dozens of celebrities are suing MGN, accusing their titles of obtaining private information through phone hacking and other illicit means, including private investigators, between 1991 and 2011.
The trial began on May 10 and is expected to last seven weeks.
MGN is disputing most of the allegations, arguing in its court filings that some claims were made too late and that in all four cases there is insufficient evidence of phone hacking.
In court documents published last month, the editor apologized for a case of illegal intelligence gathering nearly 20 years ago.
That incident involved a private investigator, who was paid $95 in 2004 by the Sunday People, a tabloid owned by the same group, to gather information about the Duke of Sussex while he was in a London nightclub.
Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said his claim against MGN, which covers incidents from 1995 to 2011, is “significant not just in terms of the time period but the range of activities it covers”.
Harry was subject to “the most intrusive methods of obtaining personal information”, Sherborne said, arguing that “nobody should be subjected to that”. The “illegal methods” were “customary and widespread” among journalists, Sherborne added.
What happened on Monday?
A huge media crowd gathered outside the High Court on Monday morning, hoping for a glimpse of the Duke – who was later revealed not to be in attendance until Tuesday.
Inside the courtroom, Sherborne laid out parts of Harry’s case, laying out some of the items that will be considered in the trial.
The lawyer said illegal activities to gather information “acted like a web” around Harry and occurred “under the radar” at MGN newspapers, according to PA Media news agency.
The first article, from September 1996, was titled “Diana so sad on Harry’s big day”, and detailed a visit by Princess Diana to see Harry on his 12th birthday, according to PA Media.
MGN denies that it was the result of illegal activity and argues that the information was already in the public domain, the PA said.
Another discussed story touched on the relationship between Harry and Prince William in 2003.
What is Harry going to say?
When Harry takes the witness stand on Tuesday, he can expect a tough scrutiny from the publisher’s lawyers.
The prince alleges that around 140 articles published in titles belonging to the group contained information collected by illegal methods, and 33 of those articles were selected to be considered in the trial, according to PA Media.
The details of these stories are likely to be analyzed at length.
And while this is Harry’s first appearance in a court case against the British media, it may not be his last.
The case against MGN is one of several lawsuits brought by Harry and his wife, Meghan, in their long battle with British tabloids, which they accused of breaching privacy and publishing false stories.
The pair have filed at least seven lawsuits against British and American media organizations since 2019, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), according to Reuters.
NGN publishes The Sun and used to produce News of the World, which shut down in 2011 over a phone hacking scandal.
In March, Harry appeared at a court hearing in his case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of illegal information gathering, which the group denied.
How will this affect the royals?
Harry’s court appearance is extremely rare. This is believed to be the first time a British royal has appeared in person since 2002, when Princess Anne pleaded guilty after her dog bit two children in a Windsor park, according to PA Media.
It has been more than 130 years since a senior member of the royal family gave evidence in court when Edward VII was a witness in a trial for libel over a card game in 1891, before he became king, Reuters reported.
It remains unclear whether Harry’s testimony will touch on other royals or his relationships with family members. But his brother and heir to the throne, Prince William, has recently clashed over another of Harry’s cases.
Documents published in April as part of Harry’s lawsuit against NGN allege the publisher reached an undisclosed settlement with Prince William over historic allegations of phone hacking.
It’s not clear how Prince Harry is aware of his brother’s deal, but in his response to the court he writes that his information is based on an edited document through which he infers that Prince William signed the deal.
Officials at Kensington Palace, which represents Prince William, told the CNN who do not comment on lawsuits. Buckingham Palace reiterated the same position. Prince Harry claims his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II was aware of the deal negotiations.
Whether this week’s case will raise questions for other members of the royal family remains to be seen. But this marks a watershed in Harry’s efforts against big players in the British media, and his appearance is likely to dominate headlines for days to come.
Source: CNN Brasil
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