It appears Prince Harry’s distrust of British media has some basis in fact. On December 15, a judge partially sided with the estranged prince in his phone-hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group, which operates multiple tabloids, including The Mirror, awarding the Sussexes £140,600, or $180,000. According to Variety reports, the High Court of London ruled that the Duke of Sussex’s phone was likely accessed “to a modest extext,” with 15 out of 33 news articles Harry submitted as evidence a result of hacking into his personal phone’s voice-mail, Judge Timothy Fancourt said. Per NBC News, Fancourt ruled Mirror Group engaged in phone hacking on a “widespread and habitual” basis, with senior staff involved in covering it up.
The judge said that Harry had a “tendency” to assume articles cited facts obtained unlawfully, though that is not always the case. “Phone hacking was not the only journalistic tool at the time and his claim in relation to the other 18 articles did not stand up to careful analysis,” Fancourt noted, according to reports. “I recognise that Mirror Group was not responsible for all the unlawful activity that was directed at the Duke, and that a good deal of the oppressive behaviour of the Press towards the Duke over the years was not unlawful at all.”
Multiple British celebrities joined Prince Harry in his hacking lawsuit. Fiona Wightman, together with Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell and Nikki Sanderson, claimed Mirror Group accessed their personal information, per Variety. “We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago,” the newspaper company said, apologizing in a statement. “Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”
Harry was not present for the ruling but admonished Mirror Group for its actions in a prepared statement. “This case is not just about hacking; it is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behaviour, followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings,” his lawyer, David Sherborne, read outside court on his behalf.
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