Prince Harry, in his first day taking the stand in his lawsuit against British tabloids for allegedly hacking his cellphone more than ten years ago, had a lot to get off his chest in this first day of testimony. After all, he is the first British royal in 130 years to testify in court.
Harry's most poignant comment was probably his accusation that “some editors and journalists do have blood on their hands” because of how shameless the British tabloids have been in their methods to gather news about him, his mother, Princess Diana, as well as other famous figures (Harry is one of four claimants in this particular lawsuit).
Andrew Green, a lawyer for the Mirror Group, questioned Harry for specific proof that its journalists had hacked his cellphone. Green argued that much of the information that Harry says was obtained illegally obtained was available from other sources, and therefore didn't prove he was necessarily hacked.
But Harry countered back that the Mirror’s journalists did indeed hack his phone and as well as those of people close to him. He claimed there was no other way that they could have possibly discovered his whereabouts in certain situations, or the details of an injury he had on a schoolyard, without obtaining the information illegally.
Harry got in another good shot at the British press when asked by Green if the public had an interest in knowing about his youthful drug use. Harry responded: “There’s a difference between public interest and what interests the public.”
Harry will most likely continue testifying on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. If he wins the lawsuit, the Mirror Group could have to pay further penalties for their practice of hacking cellphones, which was first made public more than ten years ago. The case is undoubtedly also personal for Harry, since his mother Princess Diana was hounded relentlessly by tabloids as well, including during the high-speed paparazzi chase that caused her death in 1997.
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