Prince Harry has appeared in court again as part of his civil action against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
His witness statement to the High Court is filled with allegations of phone hacking and invasions into the private lives of him and his friends.
Harry feared ex-girlfriend would be ‘harassed to death’
The prince alleges in the document that being followed around the world by the press caused him to be scared his then girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, would be “harassed to death”.
In the submission, the Duke claims when he and Ms Davy were on various holidays together, the paparazzi would always know where they were.
The prince claims Associated Newspapers learned this information through “unlawful means”.
Recounting one particular trip to a private polo lodge in Argentina, he claims after Ms Davy spoke to another friend of his on the phone, the area they were staying in was “swarmed in photographers”.
He says this led to Ms Davy feeling like she was being “hunted” and feeling “shaken”.
The prince added it also caused him to be scared his then girlfriend was going to be “chased and harassed to death”.
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Prince claims details of a private phone call between him and William were published
The prince says details of an emotional phone call he held with Prince William were published following the publication of a picture of their dying mother in the Italian media.
He claims that an article in the Daily Mail made explicit reference to the phone call between the two princes and alleges that someone working for Associated Newspapers was “plainly listening into calls”.
“To do that,” he added, “is simply shameful but to publish it is beyond cruel and an abuse of journalistic privilege.”
Prince claims phone hacking led to breakdown of relationship
The prince says a brief relationship he had with Laura Gerard-Leigh while he was still at Eton broke down due to information gained via “illegal sources”.
He claims their “brief but private relationship” lasted only “a matter of months” which meant he found the fact that journalists became aware of it “extraordinary”.
Prince Harry claims as a result of articles being printed about them and Ms Gerard-Leigh’s parents being “doorstepped”, their relationship “did not last long”.
Prince claims Royal Family ‘withheld information about phone hacking’
The prince alleges the Royal Family chose not to tell him about possible phone hacking because they feared it might “open a can of worms“.
He claims he only became aware he could make a claim over potential invasions of his privacy by certain members of the press in 2018.
The prince said the Royal Family “made it clear that we did not need to know anything about phone hacking and it was made clear to me that the Royal Family did not sit in the witness box”.
He added that the Royal Family’s “strict no comment policy” meant “even the worst or most suspicious articles were often never brought to my attention”.
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Read more:
Everything you need to know about the Duke of Sussex’s latest court case
Prince Harry’s unexpected High Court visit sends a message
Prince claims private investigators ‘bought girlfriend’s flight information’
The prince says when he and his then girlfriend Ms Davy were on holiday in Africa, Associated Newspapers ensured someone was paid off to provide journalists with her flight details.
He added that not only was this illegal, it also presented a “real security risk” and caused him to believe either a member of his security team or a friend had been paid for the information.
The Duke added that the constant press attention made his relationships “impossible”.
Associated Newspapers deny all allegations of wrongdoing.
