Prince Harry Suing 2 More British Tabloids Over Phone Hacking Allegations

Duke of Sussex is taking legal action once again

By Jess Cohen Oct 04, 2019 5:34 PMTags
Watch: Prince Harry Blasts British Press for Bullying Meghan Markle

Prince Harry is not messing around when it comes to the press.

The Duke of Sussex is set to sue the owners of the Sun and the Daily Mirror over alleged phone hacking claims, Buckingham Palace confirmed to BBC. The outlet reports that documents have been filed at the High Court on behalf of the 35-year-old royal "regarding the alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages."

This news comes just days after Harry issued a powerful statement against the British press for bullying his wife, Meghan Markle. In Harry's statement, it was confirmed that the royals are taking legal action over the publishing of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex.

"We have initiated legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday, and its parent company Associated Newspapers, over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which is part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband," a legal spokesperson from Schillings who are representing the royals said Tuesday. "Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda."

In Harry's statement he said Meghan has "become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."

"There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been," he continued. "Because in today's digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe. One day's coverage is no longer tomorrow's chip-paper."

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"Up to now, we have been unable to correct the continual misrepresentations - something that these select media outlets have been aware of and have therefore exploited on a daily and sometimes hourly basis," Harry went on to note. "It is for this reason we are taking legal action, a process that has been many months in the making. The positive coverage of the past week from these same publications exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified her almost daily for the past nine months; they have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you've seen on this Africa tour."

Harry also referenced the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, stating, "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."