Prince Harry testifies that he was kept in the dark about the wiretapping allegations

Prince Harry testified in a British court that years of not knowing about the Associated Papers’ allegations of invasion of privacy had created a sense of paranoia and strained personal relationships.

Harry, Duke of Sussex, is in court this week as one of several high-profile names suing Associated Papers, which owns the Daily Mail, over allegations of wiretaps and other breaches of privacy. The publisher denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the lawsuit.

In a written deposition filing, Harry said he was unaware of the alleged incursions by the Associated Papers prior to 2019, when he sought legal counsel outside the royal family.

Harry and his wife, Meghan, have sued News Group Newspapers Limited and Associated Papers in recent years.

In his letter, Harry said: “In investigating my allegation, I have learned of ample evidence of wrongdoing and subsequent cover-ups at Associated which would show that not only was he acting outside the law, but that he believed himself to be above him.” certificate. “I’m determined to hold Associated accountable for everyone’s sake.”

Harry alleged that his attorneys learned from private investigators working on behalf of the Associated Papers that he had admitted to practices such as hacking voicemails, wiretapping landlines, and obtaining credit card statements. He said the targets were Harry, his friends and any potential romantic partner in his life.

The prince’s legal team has evidence that the matter began in 2001 and continued until at least 2013, according to his testimony.

The Associated Press refuted the allegations, saying in a statement on Tuesday that the allegations appeared to be based on an “alleged confession” by a private investigator. The publisher said the investigator now denies that he was assigned to illegally collect information on behalf of Associated Papers.

Harry referred to the constant coverage of him and ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy on holidays and how the leaked information had created a “terrifying” situation for the ex-couple.

“Their behavior and treatment of Chelsea was not normal,” Harry wrote. “I was afraid Chelsea would run in the opposite direction or be chased and harassed to death.”

Harry said he went to “extreme” efforts to protect his and his girlfriend’s privacy, but ultimately, the constant invasions into his personal life made relationships “impossible.”

He also claims that those who deal with the royal family’s interests, referred to as the Foundation, have kept him in the dark about any details of the alleged wiretap. Harry referred to the News of the World wiretapping case, saying that representatives of the family did not want to involve the princes.

Harry said: “The Foundation has made it clear that we don’t need to know anything about the phone hack, and it has been made clear to me that the Royal Family did not sit in the witness box as that would open a can of worms.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Tuesday.

Harry and his wife stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020.

Harry won the right to sue the Associated Papers last year, alleging that a newspaper article about his battle with the British government over his security arrangements was defamatory.

The High Court in London also ruled in favor of his wife v Associated Papers in 2021 after Meghan sued over parts of a private letter published in The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline.

Judge Mark Warby wrote in his ruling that Meghan “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would be kept confidential” and that the articles “interfered with that reasonable expectation”.