On Tuesday, Harry was questioned for nearly five hours, and in his written testimony to the court. He stated that MGN’s alleged intrusion into his life caused “a great deal of paranoia” in his relationships.
The Duke of Sussex’s High Court case against the Daily Mirror’s publisher over unlawful information collection will proceed.
The duke is suing MGN for damages, alleging that journalists at its titles, which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, were involved in illegal activities such as phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or obtaining information by deception, and the use of private investigators.
He claims that approximately 140 articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) titles between 1996 and 2010 contained information obtained through illegal means; 33 of these have been selected for consideration at trial.
Harry, the first senior royal to appear in court in 20 years, answered nearly five hours of questions on Tuesday.
In his written testimony before the court, the 38-year-old man stated that MGN’s alleged intrusion into his life caused him to experience “extreme paranoia” in his relationships.
The duke stated in a 49-page witness statement that he found it “extremely difficult to trust anyone. Which led to bouts of depression and paranoia.”
“Friendships were lost completely needlessly,” he said, adding later that some of his acquaintances “became instant targets.”
Tuesday, MGN’s Andrew Green KC questioned Harry on approximately 20 of the 33 articles.
Harry was asked why he complained about MGN titles when the same material was available in other media.
The duke claimed MGN journalists illegally obtained “exclusive” viewpoints on current topics or advanced them.
Mr. Green questioned Harry’s allegation that articles “caused him to be paranoid and suspicious of those around him.” And whether he was referring to specific MGN articles or “the cumulative effect of all articles about him.”
Harry responded, “Yes, because… it has been 20 years. And I can only speculate as to whether I saw these articles at the time”.
“At the time, I read numerous articles and was unfortunately made aware of the situation by the behavior and reaction of my inner circle.”
Harry’s claim and three “representative” claims were heard in last month’s six- to eight-week trial.
Harry’s claim is being considered alongside three other “representative” claims in a six- to eight-week trial that began last month.
The three other representative claimants are Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, professionally known as Michael Le Vell and best known for his role as Kevin Webster in the long-running soap opera, former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, and the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, Fiona Wightman.
