Nobility - Verdict expected in Prince Harry's lawsuit against "Mirror" publisher
Six months after Prince Harry's appearance in the witness box at London's High Court, the time has come: the 39-year-old royal and other celebrities are expected to reach a verdict today in their action for damages against the "Mirror" publishing house.
The younger son of the British King Charles III accuses journalists from the "Daily Mirror", "Sunday Mirror" and "People" of having spied on him by illegal means. Among other things, voice messages on his cell phone were intercepted and analyzed for reports about him and private detectives were hired.
The fact that Harry himself took to the witness stand at the trial in June caused a stir. He was cross-examined for two days - the first British royal to do so for 130 years.
Using 33 articles from the MGN newspapers"Daily Mirror", "Sunday Mirror" and "People" from 1996 to 2009, Prince Harry and his legal team wanted to show that illegally obtained information was used in reporting about him.
Visit to a strip club and relationship stress
Some of the reports dealt with juicy details such as a visit to a strip club or the end of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy or sports injuries. The information was so intimate, he argued, that it could only have come from the interception of cell phone voice messages and other illegal information gathering. He did not provide any concrete evidence.
Harry spoke quietly, often barely audibly, and seemed frustrated at times. 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 allegations and argued that the reporting was based on legally obtained information. The sources were often publicly accessible or people close to him who had leaked information.
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, even if it is not as difficult to prove in civil proceedings as in a criminal case.
Prince Harry: tabloids "rampant"
Prince Harry, according to a written witness statement he submitted, is 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 (42).
"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.
Harry, 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 lawsuits for allegedly illegally obtaining information are pending, including against the publisher of the "Sun", News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the publisher of the "Daily Mail", Associated Newspapers. The outcome of the lawsuit against the Mirror Group is likely to be a first indication of whether his mission will be successful.
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Source: www.stern.de
