Prince Harry’s lawyers will begin closing statements Tuesday in a trial against British media company Mirror Group Newspapers, which he accuses of hacking his cellphone more than a decade ago.
The lawsuit is part of a years-long feud between Harry and the British tabloids, and is one of several cases he has brought against the newspaper publishers. During the trial, the prince testified over two days, and became the first prominent member of the royal family to testify in court in more than 130 years.
This week, Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne and Mirror Group lawyer Andrew Green will both address Judge Timothy Fancourt.
Lawyers are likely to discuss Harry’s testimony in their closing remarks, potentially addressing the evidence he has given and the question of his credibility.
What argument did Harry’s team make?
Harry’s legal team detailed the illegal methods the company used to obtain personal information about him for a series of articles published between 1996 and 2011. The case centers on allegations that in the early 2000s, the company hacked Harry’s phone. as well as his brother, William, a girlfriend and some of his associates. Harry brought suit along with three other claimants.
Harry’s legal team argued that illegal reporting methods resulted in offensive articles that damaged Harry’s trust in his friends and strained his relationship with his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
What was the argument of the Mirror Group?
Andrew Green, lead lawyer for the Mirror Group, told the court there was no evidence Prince Harry was ever hacked. His legal team has argued that suspicion of phone hacking is not evidence, and that some of the articles in question were published before the prince had a cellphone.
He said that as of 2009, employees of another tabloid, The News of the World, owned by Rupert Murdoch, had been sentenced to prison for phone hacking, making it unlikely that Mirror Group journalists would risk doing the same. .
He also said that Harry had waited too long to sue.
What were the key moments in the trial so far?
During the trial, Harry denounced the British tabloid press and its methods, asking, “How much more blood will their typing fingers have to be stained before someone can stop this madness?”
He said the tabloid’s activities affected every area of his life, leading to a state of “depression and paranoia”.
Harry said that the persona he created with the tabloids portraying him as “fat”, a “cheat”, an “underage drinker” and an “irresponsible drug taker” took a toll on his life. Went. And he said press intrusion was a “main factor” in his breakup with Ms Davy.
what happens next?
The judge’s clerk, Ahlia Rateb, said the judge’s ruling would be announced two to three months after the trial ends.
