Prince Harry - Fight against tabloid press had consequences
Prinz Harry (39) speaks in the ITV-documentary "Tabloids On Trial" about his claims against the British tabloid press. He reached an agreement with the British publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of the British tabloid "The Daily Mirror", in a phone hacking trial and received a "substantial" compensation. The responsible court decided that Harry was illegally hacked, which Harry described in the docu as a "monumental victory" in "Variety".
One of the headlines discussed in the trial and created during the phone hacking is also addressed by Harry. This concerned his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy (38). "Harry's girlfriend is leaving him - it seems she knew something before I even knew it", says the husband of Duchess Meghan (42) in the docu interview. Furthermore, he adds: "There's a lot of paranoia, fear, worry, concern, mistrust around people, and a headline like that is absolutely not in the public interest." There's a big difference between what the public is interested in and what is in the public interest. His private life between him and his former girlfriend does not belong to the latter.
Prinz Harry on Mother Diana: "She was not paranoid"
Regarding whether hacking made him paranoid, he explains that it could be paranoia, "but if you're then proven right, it proves that you weren't paranoid. That was also the case with my mother", emphasizes Prinz Harry. There is evidence that his mother, Princess Diana (1961-1997), was hacked in the mid-90s. "The Boulevard press still portrays her as paranoid today. But she was not paranoid, she had every right to what happened to her. And she's not here anymore to find the truth", says the 39-year-old.
Harry, who also took legal action against the News Group Newspapers (NGN), explains in the docu that his actions against the tabloid press also had familial consequences. In response to the question of whether he believes that his determination to combat the tabloid press destroyed his relationship with his family, Harry, son of King Charles III. (75), states: "That's certainly a central point. But that's a difficult question to answer, because anything I say about my family leads to a flood of abuse from the press. [...] But yes, it contributed to the rift."
He made it clear that his actions were something that had to be done. "It would be nice if we did it as a family. I believe that, if you perform a public function, these things should be done for the common good. But, you know, I do it for my own reasons. I think everything that has happened has shown people the truth. My mission continues."
The entire docu will be shown on ITV1 and the streaming service ITVX on coming Thursday, 25. July.
- Prinz Harry mentions his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy in the ITV documentary, criticizing a headline about their relationship that was published by the Daily Mirror during a time of quarrel.
- The documentarian discusses a headline related to Chelsy Davy's departure from Harry, which allegedly suggested that she had prior knowledge of their breakup before him.
- Boulevard press continues to portray Harry's mother, Princess Diana, as paranoid in their coverage, despite the known hacking incidents that occurred during her lifetime.
- Chelsy Davy is not mentioned in the ITV docu as a direct beneficiary of Prinz Harry's legal battle against the tabloid press, but her association with him is part of the context.
- Birth year information is provided for all the key figures in this discussion: Harry (1984), Chelsy Davy (1985), Duchess Meghan (1981), Princess Diana (1961), Prinz Charles (1948), and King Charles III (1948).
- The British tabloid press, including Boulevard press and the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), has targeted the family members of Prinz Harry, contributing to the rift within the family.
