Prince Harry Accuses Piers Morgan of 'Horrific Personal Attacks and Intimidation' Following Phone Hack Lawsuit
Prince Harry didn't mince words when he came for Piers Morgan while taking the stand in the phone hacking trial. Harry, 38, accused the 58-year-old broadcaster of "personal attacks and intimidation" after suing Mirror Group Newspapers for allegedly gaining information on the royal family by forms of deception, RadarOnline.com has learned.
As this outlet reported, Harry addressed the High court on Monday, making him the first royal to testify in more than a century. While on the stand, the embattled Duke of Sussex answered a slew of questions, including his past drug use and rumors that James Hewitt was really his father.
But Harry dropped a bombshell about Morgan, who publicly dismissed his and wife Meghan Markle's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they accused the palace of racism. Morgan also questioned Markle's revelation of having suicidal thoughts while serving time as a working royal.
"Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my Mirror Group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan, who was the editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, presumably in retaliation and in the hope that I will back down, before being able to hold him properly accountable for his unlawful activity towards both me and my mother during his editorship," Harry told the High Court.
Piers spoke out in response to Harry's allegations, telling Sky News, "I wish him luck with his privacy campaign and look forward to reading about it in his next book."
MGN has been accused of hacking Princess Diana's phone under Morgan's supervision — allegations that the British host denied.
"The thought of Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother's private and sensitive messages (in the same way as they have me) and then having given her a 'nightmare time' three months prior to her death in Paris, makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour," Harry wrote in his witness statement.
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As RadarOnline.com revealed, King Charles III's youngest son is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages. Harry claimed the journalists at the MGN outlets — like the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People — used methods including hiring private investigators to perform unlawful activities and hacked their phones to gain information about him and his family.
MGN has denied the allegations.
During cross-examination, Harry admitted he was "not sure" whose phone was hacked after he broke his thumb playing football and the news appeared in the British press. He also alleged that his father's voicemails may have been intercepted to gain information when asked about a Mirror article reading, "Harry's cocaine, ecstasy and GHB parties."
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Harry estimated that around 140 articles published by MGN between 1996 to 2010 contained information which was gathered by using unlawful methods.
However, Andrew Green, KC for the media giant, hit back by telling the court that the details included in the stories were linked to other media outlets, press releases, statements from the palace, and Harry's aides and pals. Green also claimed that some of the information came from comments made by Harry's mother before her death.