Prince Harry believes his mother, Princess Diana, was likely among the first victims of phone hacking by the British tabloid press.
The Duke of Sussex made the claim in an interview for a documentary, Tabloids on Trial, which is set to air on Britain’s ITV1 network Thursday. The prince speaks candidly in the film about how media intrusions into his own private life made him feel “paranoia and fear” and left him distrustful of people around him.
In December, a judge in England’s High Court ruled that Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had unlawfully obtained information for stories about Harry, including through “extensive” phone hacking, awarding him around $180,000 in damages. He later settled the rest of his claim against MGN for an additional sum. In the new documentary, Harry hailed the outcome as a “monumental victory.”
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“When you’re vindicated, it proves you weren’t being paranoid,” Harry says, additionally claiming that his mother, Princess Diana, had endured a similar experience.
He said there is “evidence to suggest” she was hacked in the 1990s and was therefore “probably one of the first” victim of hacking by the British press, but the tabloids still continue “painting her as being paranoid.”
“But she wasn’t paranoid,” Harry says. “She was absolutely right of what was happening to her, and she’s not around today to find out the truth.” Claims of hacking against the late princess have not been proved in court.
Harry nevertheless cited her as one of his sources for motivation in his legal fight with the press. Asked about the extent to which his courtroom battles against the media had destroyed his relationship with the British royal family, Harry said it was “certainly a central piece” of the relationship’s breakdown.
Noting that it was a hard question to answer because “anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” Harry indicated the problem arose from the different approaches he and his family wanted to take to handling the media.
“I made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done,” he said. “It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. I believe that again, from a service standpoint, and when you’re in a public role, that these are things that we should be doing for the greater good.”
When pressed for his thoughts on other royals’ decision not to fight in the same way he has, Harry answered: “I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is.” “For me the mission continues,” he added. “But it has, yes, it’s caused—as you say—part of a rift.”
In response to the documentary, MGN told ITV: “We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.” “Where historical wrongdoing took place, we [apologize] unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation,” the company added.
