Prince Harry-Daily Mail trial live: Duke felt ‘frustrated’ as ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy left terrified by press intrusion

Discussing a Mail On Sunday article from October 2011, Harry said in his written evidence that the information in the story would have only been known by himself, Ms Davy and their close friends.

He continued: “It feels creepy, like you’re constantly being watched, and you can’t trust anyone around you.

“It feels like every aspect of your life behind closed doors is being displayed to the world for amusement, entertainment and money.”

The hearing has finished for lunch break and will resume at 2pm.

The Duke of Sussex has said he “fundamentally” rejects the suggestion that “any co-existing with anybody means I have no private life”.

Harry also claimed that Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, “has been very good” at claiming that articles were in the public interest, and said Mr Dacre had “turned it into a business model”.

Mr Justice Nicklin then said that witnesses “feel a particular pressure to make their point and to argue the point”, but continued: “You don’t have to do that, you just need to answer the questions.”

Harry responded that Associated Newspapers Limited “have done a very good job of stripping out all the colour from the situations the claimants have been in”, that he had been under “24-hour surveillance” and that “people write about you claiming it is in the public interest when it clearly isn’t”.

Mr Justice Nicklin said: “The careful balance between the public interest and the interference with privacy rights is one I have spent a career dealing with.”

Harry responded: “I just want you to have an idea of what it is like living in this world.”

The Duke of Sussex has claimed it was “beyond cruel” to publish an article about “confidential discussions” he had after a photo of a dying Diana, Princess of Wales was published in the Italian press.

In his written evidence, Harry described an article published in the Daily Mail in July 2006 as “really disgusting”, saying he was having private discussions with his brother, the now-Prince of Wales.

Harry said in his witness statement: “If Associated was willing to publish this type of material, then it really makes me wonder how far they are prepared to go and what else they learnt but never published because they would get caught.

“The amount of information and detail in this article would not have come from Clarence House; they were plainly listening in to calls as well as spending large sums on private investigators.

“To do that is simply shameful but to publish it I feel is beyond cruel and an abuse of journalistic privilege which I find extremely upsetting.”

There “would be a lot more out there” if three people who the Duke of Sussex described as some of his “closest friends” had decided to speak to the press, the High Court has heard.

Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited, suggested to Harry that comments from the duke of him talking about being in love with Chelsy Davy while at a campfire in Botswana could only have become known to Mail journalists if someone had told them.

Harry said the information was more likely picked up when he “talked about it on a voicemail” or other communication.

He added: “The quote is being attributed to three strangers. You are now trying to suggest that these three strangers are some of my closest friends. That does not add up.”

He continued: “These three people have never shared anything with anybody. If they had, there would be a lot more out there.”

The Duke of Sussex has said in his written evidence that he was “really worried something bad was going to happen” when he was in a relationship with Chelsy Davy.

Describing a surprise visit to Argentina by Ms Davy, Harry said in his written evidence that he “suspected someone had been paid to reveal our plans”.

He continued: “I was never suspicious of Chelsy in relation to stories like this but I was of her friends. If I saw this story at the time, I would have been very frustrated and angry.

“I would have questioned how Associated found out this information. But, at the same time, I would have felt like I had to accept this as the reality of my life.

“This sort of intrusion was terrifying for Chelsy: it made her feel like she was being hunted and the press had caught her and it was terrifying for me too because therewas nothing I could do to stop it and now she was in my world.

“She was ‘shaken’ and I was really paranoid about trying to protect our privacy, as the article says.

“Their behaviour and treatment of Chelsy was not normal. I was really worried something bad was going to happen.”

Harry said he “always expected” to be followed when travelling.

He said in his written evidence: “If someone was dating me, they might assume that they would be photographed coming out of a restaurant or a concert but you would never expect to experience full blown harassment.

“Whenever I got on a plane, or in a car, I always expected I was being followed. I was under 24-hour surveillance.

“Because of my position as a member of the Royal Family, both my security team and I always had security concerns even before I had arrived at a location because of how often the press knew about our every movement, sometimes hiding at a location before we even got there.

“The security risk was particularly great when we were abroad and could not always rely on police assistance.”

“However, despite feeling like I was under constant surveillance I knew nothing of Associated’s unlawful acts that were directed at me and those around me.

“Clearly much of what was happening to me and others around me was due to that.”

Prince Harry has denied his social circles were “leaky” when questioned by ANL’s lawyer.

He said: “My social circles were not leaky, I want to make that absolutely clear.”

He added that if he became suspicious of someone, “I would have to cut contact with this person”.

The Duke of Sussex has said he “can’t believe for a second” that if journalists for Associated Newspapers Limited saw rival reporters using unlawful information gathering (UIG) then they would do the same.

Speaking about a wedding in Jamaica where he said two journalists from The Sun had checked into a hotel two days before he arrived, he said: “I would certainly assume that the knowledge of us going to this wedding was found through UIG.

“I can’t believe for a second that if your competitor is using UIG then you would not too, to beat them to the punch.”

Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited, claimed while cross-examining the Duke of Sussex that Harry used a Facebook profile named “Mr Mischief” to contact a Mail On Sunday journalist.

Mr White was asking Harry whether he had met Charlotte Griffiths, who the barrister claimed moved in the duke’s “social circles”.

Harry said he had “no idea that she was a journalist” when they met over a weekend in 2011, but Mr White said that Ms Griffiths claimed they met in Ibiza.

The duke said: “I don’t think that can be right. I don’t believe I have ever been to Ibiza other than with my now wife (the Duchess of Sussex).”

Mr White then claimed that Harry used the Facebook profile named “Mr Mischief” to communicate with Ms Griffiths, suggesting that the duke “exchanged friendly messages” and his mobile number with her on social media.

Harry said he had “never used the name Mr Mischief”, and that he had “no idea” if he had exchanged messages with Ms Griffiths on Facebook.