Prince Harry says legal battles contributed to ‘rift’ with his family

Prince Harry is speaking candidly on the High Court ruling that said he was hacked by Mirror Group Newspapers and on how his contentious relationship with the press contributed to a “rift” with his family.

In December, a judge ruled that Harry was a victim of phone hacking and illegal news gathering, as the Deseret News previously reported. In February, Harry settled the remaining claims in his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers.

In a Wednesday interview with ITV News for a new documentary, “ Tabloids On Trial ,” Harry called the December ruling “monumental.”

“To have the judge rule in our favor was obviously huge. But for him to go as far as he did … this wasn’t just the individual people,” Harry told ITV . “This went right up to the top. This was lawyers, this was high executives. And to be able to achieve that in a trial that’s a monumental victory.”

In the ruling, the judge cited evidence of “widespread and habitual” illegal news gathering methods by Mirror Newsgroups between 2003 and 2009, as reported by the Deseret News .

During that period, Harry said he felt “paranoia, fear and distrust.”

“When you’re vindicated,” Harry told ITV , “it proves that you weren’t being paranoid”.

In response to the ruling, Mirror Group Newspapers offered an apology for its previous news-gathering methods.

“We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago,” the company said in a statement, per NBC News . “Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologize unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”

Harry’s tabloid war fueled ‘rift’ with family

Following his court win in December, Harry vowed to continue his “mission” of holding British tabloids accountable. But his determination to fight the tabloids is a “central piece” to his family rift, Harry said in the recent interview.

“I’ve made it very clear that this (legal action) is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we did it as a family,” Harry said. “I believe that from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good.”

When asked about his current relationship with other members of the royal family, Harry was hesitant to reveal much detail because “anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he said.

Harry has previously claimed he wants to repair relationships with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William.

In a January 2023 interview with ITV , Harry told Tom Bradby that, “I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back” but that “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.”

Diana ‘motivates’ Harry’s media battles

Harry believes he experienced the same type of “paranoia” surrounding tabloids as his late mother, Princess Diana, he told ITV . He added that Diana “motivates” him to continue his legal battles against the media.

“There is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-90s, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid,” Harry told ITV .

“But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right about what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to, to find out the truth.”

It has not been proven in court that Diana was hacked by the media.