Prince Harry got emotional in court while talking about his wife, Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex spent a good amount of time in court Wednesday, giving his side of a lawsuit against a news group that puts out the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Harry, who is 41, seemed upset as he told the court that the Daily Mail made Meghan’s life “an absolute misery.” He appeared shaken as he left.
According to a reporter in the courtroom, Harry struggled to get the words out. He was described as very emotional as he spoke against the media for turning his private life into something to be sold. Harry thinks it’s “disgusting” that people might think he doesn’t deserve a private life. He added that this legal fight has been another “horrible experience” for him and his family.
Royal commentator Meredith Constant pointed out that the news group being sued was the same one that published Meghan’s letter to her father back in 2019.
Harry, along with other well-known people like Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, is claiming that their privacy was invaded from the early 1990s to the 2010s. Their lawyer says the U.K. tabloids were involved in “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” for two decades.
The news group denies these claims, calling them “preposterous.” They say the articles in question were based on real sources, including people who knew the famous figures and were willing to talk.
Harry mentioned that all he and the others want is an apology. He said it’s “awful” to have to relive these painful experiences. He stressed that the hardest part was knowing that the news group “made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”
Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, mentioning intense media attention and a lack of support from the palace. They have since moved to California.
Kinsey Schofield, who hosts a YouTube show, noted that Harry and his family have faced extreme media intrusion. She reminded people that Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, also suffered from aggressive press treatment, including deception used to get her BBC interview.
Harry believes his privacy was violated and that illegal methods may have been used, which Schofield finds unacceptable.
Harry said information that was supposed to be private, attributed to “sources” and “friends,” made him think that people close to him were leaking information to the press.
He brought up a 2005 article about his then-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, which had so much detail that he felt constantly watched.
Harry admitted that the media coverage made him “paranoid beyond belief” and that he felt like they wanted to “drive me to drugs and drinking to sell more papers.”
He also said that his mother’s death was the start of his “uneasy relationship” with the media. However, as a member of the royal family, he felt he had to follow the policy of “never complain, never explain.”
Harry explained that the “vicious, persistent attacks” on his wife pushed him to break with royal tradition and take the press to court.
The trial is expected to last for several weeks.
