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Prince Harry fought back tears as he appeared in the witness box at London’s High Court on Wednesday in his privacy lawsuit against the paper’s publisher, saying the Daily Mail had made his wife Meghan’s life “absolutely miserable”.
Six other claimants, including the 41-year-old Duke of Sussex and singer Elton John, are suing the Mail’s publisher, the Associated Press, for violating their privacy from the early 1990s to the 2010s.
The Associated Press, which publishes the Mail on Sunday, described the allegations as “pretentious defamation” and said the journalists had legitimate sources, including friends and acquaintances of the celebrities.
Becoming the first royal in 130 years to give evidence in court in another case against the press in 2023, King Charles’ youngest son gave a combative response to questions from Associate Solicitor Anthony White, but became emotional when asked about the impact of the case.
Harry told the court: “It’s fundamentally wrong to put us all through this again when all we’re asking for is an apology and some accountability.”
“It’s a horrible experience, and the worst part is sitting here and taking a stand against them … coming after me.”
“You’ve made my wife’s life an utter misery,” added Harry, gasping.
He has previously denied White’s claims that newspaper reporters are close to his “leaky” social circle.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not friends with these journalists and never have been,” Harry said in an exchange with Wyatt several times. “My social circles were not leaking. I want to make that absolutely clear.”
‘I have marketed my personal life’
The prince’s case focuses on 14 counts his legal team says are the result of illegal data collection, including intercepting voicemails, spoofing phone lines and spoofing personal information known as “slander.”
Associate lawyer White told Harry that the information in the articles was obtained legally, saying in the Mail on Sunday that former royal editor Katie Nicholl was part of the social group.
Harry replied, “If the sources are so good and she’s meeting all my friends, why would she use private investigators involved in illegal intelligence gathering?”
He said he spoke to reporters and tried to be civil, but felt he had no choice but to “sell my privacy.”
Harry told the court: “These are people we were forced to work with, you had to develop some kind of relationship with them… knowing who they are, knowing the stories they wrote about me.
Prince Harry and King Charles had a private tea in London, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Wednesday. This is their first meeting in two years. Harry, Duke of Sussex, last saw his father in 2015. In early 2024, it was not long after it was announced that the King was undergoing treatment for cancer.