Prince Harry phone-hacking trial: British tabloid group admits unlawful information gathering

The publisher of the British tabloid, the Daily Mirror, has made a significant admission at the onset of Prince Harry's phone-hacking trial. Mirror Group Newspapers has acknowledged its unlawful gathering of information about Prince Harry and has formally apologised for its actions. This admission comes as part of the court filings that outline the publisher's defence strategy. While the publisher denies hacking phones to intercept voicemail messages, it has accepted that there is evidence of engaging third parties in other forms of unlawful information gathering (UIG). As a result, Mirror Group Newspapers stated that compensation is warranted for Prince Harry and the other claimants involved in the trial. However, the specific form or amount of compensation has not been detailed.

In the court papers, Mirror Group Newspapers expressed an unreserved apology for all instances of unlawful information gathering and reassured the claimants that such conduct would never occur again. The publisher asserted that the apology was not a tactical move aimed at reducing potential damages but was made sincerely because such behaviour should never have taken place.

"MGN unreservedly apologizes for all such instances of UIG, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated," said court papers.

Prince Harry's phone-hacking trial represents his initial legal battle against the British press. Alongside other celebrities, he is suing the former publisher of the Daily Mirror for invasion of privacy. This trial marks the first of the three phone-hacking lawsuits Prince Harry has initiated and has the potential to force a member of the royal family onto the witness stand, leading to potentially embarrassing revelations.

The phone-hacking activities in question date back over two decades when journalists and private investigators intercepted voicemails to intrude upon the privacy of various individuals, including members of the royal family, politicians, athletes, celebrities, and even crime victims. The revelation of these hacking practices sparked a scandal within the media industry.

Prince Harry is expected to testify in person in June, as stated by his lawyer. This trial follows his surprise appearance in the High Court last month, where he observed most of a four-day hearing related to one of his other lawsuits. Although he was absent during the opening statements of this trial, Prince Harry briefly attended his father's coronation ceremony before returning to California to celebrate his son's birthday with his family.

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The prince has been engaged in a war of words against British newspapers, both through legal claims and in his best-selling memoir, Spare. He has vowed to make it his life's mission to reform the media, which he holds responsible for the untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car accident in Paris in 1997, as she attempted to evade paparazzi.

In addition to the lawsuit against the Daily Mirror, Prince Harry has also filed lawsuits against the publishers of the Daily Mail and the Sun, concerning the wider phone-hacking scandal that emerged following a year-long inquiry into press ethics in 2011. The investigation revealed that employees of the now-defunct News of the World tabloid had unlawfully eavesdropped on mobile phone voicemails.

Prince Harry has detailed his grievances against the media in court documents, describing how he has been hounded by the press since his early years, leading to the creation of a negative narrative that portrayed him as a "thicko," a "cheat," and an "underage drinker." He has also highlighted how his relationships with girlfriends were negatively impacted by the tabloid press, whom he perceives as a third party in ruining those relationships.

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