Prince Harry testimony: They have made my wife’s life an absolute misery

0:01 Hello, and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I'm your host, Mark Francis. Prince Harry arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in London shortly after eleven am on Wednesday to give evidence in his legal battle against the publisher of The Daily Mail. Dressed in a suit and tie, the Duke of Sussex waved briefly to waiting photographers as he entered the building, sheltered from the rain by aid, holding an umbrella. Earlier in the morning, a source close to Harry issued a defiant statement ahead of his appearance, saying safe to say he's ready. The source added A and L, publishers of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online, and their legal team have had months to inform the court that their opening argument would last less than two hours. Instead, they have had to resort to game playing in dirty tricks, consistent with the way they have treated not just the Duke but all of the victims in this case. As proceedings prepared to begin, the court was reminded that the case sentence on allegations of unlawful information gathering by associated newspapers limited. The claims date back to articles published between two thousand and one and twenty thirteen, and include allegations of voicemail interception, use of private investigators, and other intrusive practices.

1:15 A and L strongly denies wrongdoing and argues the claims were brought too late. Harry was sworn in shortly after arriving, though the court was briefly adjourned due to technical issues with a virtual link, prompting the Duke to leave the court room momentarily with his legal team. Before questioning began, Harry clarified how he wished to be addressed. Asked about protocol, he replied bluntly, same as last time, before confirming that meant Prince Harry. Within minutes of taking the stand, Harry made his first pointed reference to the royal family. Questioned by A and l's barrister, Anthony White KC about why he did not complain at the time the articles were published, Harry said it was because of the institution he was in.

2:00 Referenced the royal motto saying never complain, never explain, he added, to a certain extent. But I would not have been able to complain about them anyway because of the institution I was in, Harry told the court that his private information appeared in the press, his circle of trust steadily shrank. He said the kind of detail published was not information he would have spoken about openly. In his witness statement, Harry described the long standing mistrust of the media, writing following the death of my mother in nineteen ninety seven when I was twelve years old, and her treatment at the hands of the press, I have always had an uneasy relationship with them. However, as a member of the institution, the policy was to never complain, never explain. There was no alternative. I was conditioned to accept it. He told the court that this approach changed dramatically after his relationship with Meghan became public. In late twenty sixteen, When my relationship with Megan, my now wife, became public, I started to come increasingly troubled by the approach of not taking action against the press in the wake of vicious, persistent attacks on, harassment of and intrusive, sometimes racist articles concerning Megan.

3:13 The situation got worse when she became pregnant and after our son, Archie was born. Harry explained that taking legal action in twenty nineteen marked the first time he had independent legal representation outside the Royal Institution, adding until that point this had never occurred to me to be a possibility. As questioning continued, Harry grew visibly frustrated when White suggested that journalists such as Mail on Sunday Royal correspondent Katie Nickel may have been part of his social circle. Harry responded, sharply good for her. When it was suggested she attended similar events, including polo matches and nightclubs, he replied, everybody knew who she was, so nobody would be loose lipped around her. He added, if the sources were so good and she was hanging out with all my friends, than why was she using private investigators. At one point, the judge was forced to intervene, reminding Harry that he was there to answer questions rather than argue his case. You don't have to bear the burden, the judge told him.

4:12 Harry responded that he felt pressure to add context, saying A and L had done a good job of stripping out color from the points being made. He said context mattered when you're under twenty four hour surveillance. Harry strongly denied claims that his friends were a source of leaks, telling the court he cut off relationships whenever he became suspicious. He said he had lost touch with friends as a result. Discussing articles from the mid two thousands, Harry said the level of detail published made him feel part of an endless pursuit, a campaign, an obsession of having every aspect of my life under surveillance. He said it left him paranoid beyond belief and accused newspapers of wanting to drive me to drugs and drinking to sell more of their papers.

5:00 Also claimed personal information could have been obtained through hacked voicemails. When White suggested comments about his relationship with Chelsea Davy could only have come from friends, Harry replied, the quote is being attributed to three strangers. You are now trying to suggest that these strangers are some of my closest friends. That does not add up. These three people have never shared anything with anybody. If they had, there would be a lot more out there. In his written statement, Harry described the impact of media attention on his former girlfriend, Chelsea Davy. This sort of intrusion was terrifying for Chelsea. It made her feel like she was being hunted. The press had caught her and it was terrifying for me too, because there was nothing I could do to stop it.

5:42 He added, their behavior and treatment of Chelsea was not normal. I was really worried something bad was going to happen. Before the lunch adjournment, Harry was asked where the stories about his romantic life were in the public interest. He replied that he was pinned to many women he was not act actually in relationships with, and said such coverage was not in the public interest more palasing just a moment. As the afternoon session got under way, questioning shifted from cross examination to re examination, marking a change in turn inside the court room. Anthony White Casey, acting for Associated Newspapers Limited, concluded his cross examination of Prince Harry, bringing to an end a lengthy and at times tense exchange.

6:32 The Duke then returned to the witness box to be questioned by his own barrister, David Sherborne. Before that transition, Harry was asked about his awareness of the campaign group Hacked Off. He told the court he had only become aware of the organization in the last four or five years. Responding directly to White, Harry said, I happened to think they do fantastic work, mister White. White replied, I'm pleased to hear it. White suggests that if Harry had wanted to pursue concerns about the fourteen articles at the heart of the case, an obvious inquiry or port of inquiry would have been hacked off to see what support they could give you. Harry rejected that idea, telling the court that he did not believe that would have been acceptable or even an option, because of his position within the royal family. Moments later, during re examination, the atmosphere of the court shifted noticeably as Harry became visibly emotional while describing the impact of the litigation itself. In a poignant moment, his voice cracked as he told the court that his treatment by the publisher had intensified since he began taking legal action. He said his treatment had only got worse since the litigation began, and added, they continued to come after me. They have made my wife's life an absolute misery.

7:50 My Lord. The court fell quiet as the Duke paused, struggling to maintain composure before questioning continued. At one point during cross examine, Anthony White questioned Harry about a Facebook profile under the name mister mischief to contact a mail on Sunday journalist. The barrister suggested that Harry had interacted with Charlotte Griffiths, who he claimed moved with the Duke's social circles. Harry Flatley denied the claims, saying he had never used the name mister mischief and that he had no idea whether he had exchanged messages with Griffiths on Facebook. The High Court has adjourned until ten thirty am on Thursday.

8:31 Barrister David Sherborne, acting for Prince Harry and other claimants, told the court that the group was not in a position to have anyone else ready to give evidence on Wednesday, bringing the day's proceedings to a close. King Charles has returned to London and is continuing with official duties, being far too busy to meet with Harry, despite Harry being two miles away. On Wednesday morning, the King attended a reception in support of Indonesian conservation efforts at Lancaster House, located next door to his Clarence House residence. During the engagement, the Monarch met with the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. The two were scheduled to continue discussions in a private audience later in the day at nearby Saint James Palace.

9:18 And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, who addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify and Apple or the Apple Choice. Find us on Facebook, Instagram or the social media hubs. I'm Mark Franti's my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue and good times.