Prince Harry is entitled to compensation from the Mirror
The trial in which Prince Harry accused the Mirror of illegally spying on him lasted seven months. Now the verdict is in - and it largely proves the 39-year-old right. He is therefore awarded damages in the six-figure range.
The verdict has been reached - and according to the British media, it will also have an impact on the press landscape in the UK. Seven months after the start of the trial, the London High Court has ruled that Prince Harry was spied on by journalists from the Mirror publishing house using illegal means in the past. The court therefore awarded the royal around 140,000 pounds (around 163,000 euros) in damages.
Prince Harry and other celebrities had sued in the case. The 39-year-old also took to the witness stand himself around six months ago. It was clear to him that journalists from the "Daily Mirror", "Sunday Mirror" and "People" had intercepted voice messages on his cell phone and hired private detectives to spy on him. The information was then allegedly used for reports in the papers.
During his testimony in June, Prince Harry faced two days of cross-examination - the first British royal to do so in 130 years. During the trial, he and his lawyers presented a total of 33 articles published by the Mirror in which, in their opinion, illegally obtained information was used in reporting.
The court came to the conclusion that illegally obtained information, for example by spying on Harry's cell phone, was used in at least 15 articles. Even if this had only happened on a small scale, such incidents had definitely occurred between the end of 2003 and April 2009.
Piquant details
Some of the reports dealt with juicy details such as a visit to a strip club, the end of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy or sports injuries. The information was so intimate, Harry argued, that it could only have come from the interception of cell phone voice messages and other illegal information gathering.
Harry spoke softly during his testimony, often barely audible, at times appearing frustrated. He complained that the alleged spying had caused him severe emotional distress and put a strain on friendships and relationships, and admitted at the end that it had taken a lot out of him to take the stand.
The lawyer for the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), Andrew Green, had largely rejected the accusations and argued that the reporting was based on legally obtained information. The sources were often publicly accessible. In other cases, people close to the royal family had spilled the beans.
The fact that illegal methods were widespread in many British newspapers during the period in question - including MGN papers - is undisputed. However, the burden of proof lay with the Duke of Sussex and his co-plaintiffs.
Harry continues to fight
Prince Harry, as was clear from a written witness statement he submitted, was concerned with more than just his own painful experiences as a teenager and young adult. He considers the British tabloids, or "tabloids" as they are known in the UK, to be rampant. He is convinced that the accidental death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997 was also the fault of the paparazzi who were hot on her heels, and has repeatedly warned that history could repeat itself with his wife Meghan.
"Our country is judged around the world by the state of our press and our government - both of which I believe are at an all-time low," he wrote in his written statement. He said the press was no longer doing its job of holding the government to account and was instead "getting into bed" with it to keep things as they are.
The younger son of King Charles III, who left the inner circle of the royal family almost four years ago and lives with his family in the USA, is leading a veritable crusade against the tabloid press. Several other cases are pending for allegedly illegally obtaining information, including against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers.
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The public discourse surrounding the verdict is expected to impact the UK's media landscape significantly. The landmark decision against the Mirror, for illegally spying on Prince Harry, firmly establishes the damaging processes within certain sections of the British Royal Family's coverage by the media. The lengthy trial and subsequent compensation awarded to the Duke of Sussex have also highlighted the broader issue of tabloid press ethics, with Prince Harry continuing his crusade against such practices, engaging in several pending legal actions against other publishers.
Source: www.ntv.de
