Prince Harry hacking claim called “utterly crazy” in court
Prince Harry’s allegation that journalists obtained stories about him through phone hacking was challenged in the High Court on Monday, with a key witness dismissing his claims as implausible during evidence in the ongoing legal fight against Associated Newspapers.
The Sun reported that the Mail’s royal editor Ms Rebecca English rejected the Duke of Sussex’s suggestion that a 2004 Daily Mail story about his relationship with Ms Chelsy Davy, including details of a campfire in Botswana, could only have come from a hacked voicemail.
According to the report, Ms English told the court that one of Prince Harry’s friends had called the newsdesk with the information, while the Duke maintained his friends would not have shared private details and that voicemail interception must have been involved.
The hearing also addressed a separate 2006 article about Prince Harry and Prince William reacting to an Italian magazine publishing a photograph of Princess Diana as she lay dying, with Ms English denying phone hacking played any role in the story.
The case is part of a wider action involving several claimants, including Sir Elton John and Mr David Furnish, who allege reporters used unlawful methods such as paying private investigators and accessing private records. Prince Harry’s claim relates to 14 articles published between 2001 and 2013, while Associated Newspapers denies wrongdoing.
