The British editor of the Daily Mirror on Wednesday apologized for spying on Prince Harry but dismissed other allegations when a lawyer for King Charles III’s son accused the newspaper of collecting illegal information on an “industrial scale”.
The British tabloid editor’s statements came during a trial in one of Harry’s phone “hacking” cases.
However, the admission that the publisher hired a private investigator for the 2004 article was not one of nearly 150 stories that Harry claims resulted from illegal access to his cell phone, so this revelation may have little to do with the verdict.
The seven-week trial, which began in London, is the biggest test for Harry in his legal battle with the British media.
Harry and other celebrities sued Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged misuse of personal information between 1991 and 2011.
The prince was not in court when his lawyer, David Sherborne, delivered an opening statement in which he argued that illegal activities were “widespread and habitual” for reporters and editors of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
Invoices and phone records showed how the news, entertainment, sports and photography departments relied on investigators to use methods they considered illegal.
Sherborne claimed that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan knew about and even took part in the “break-in”, but Morgan publicly denied any involvement in the episode.
The accusations date back to a scandal involving journalists and private investigators who intercepted voicemails to gather information about members of the royal family, politicians, athletes, celebrities and even victims of crime.
The Mirror Group newspapers denied they “hacked” phones to intercept voicemail messages from Harry and three other celebrities, but in court documents describing his defense, the publisher admitted “some evidence of third party instructions to participate” in other types of illegal information. meeting.
According to his lawyer, this is Harry’s first phone hacking case to go to trial. He is expected to testify in June.
The Prince wages a war of words and torts against British newspapers in a legal action and his best-selling book Spare, vowing to make it his life’s mission to reform the media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She died in a car accident in Paris in 1997 while trying to hide from the paparazzi.
Their lawsuits could further damage the family relationship, which has been strained since Harry and his wife Meghan left royal life in 2020 and moved to California following complaints of racist treatment from the British press.