Prince Harry trial: 5 top bombshells as royal gives evidence in showdown trial

The Duke of Sussex appeared for a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London this morning, telling the court how Meghan Markle’s life was made ‘an absolute misery’

Prince Harry made a series of revealing statements during a landmark court appearance, during which he became emotional multiple times while recounting “trauma” from intimate details of his and Meghan Markle’s lives being made public.

The Duke of Sussex arrived at London’s Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) this morning as he and several other celebrities pursued legal action against Daily Mail publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). He and the group, which includes Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are alleging ANL participated in unlawful information gathering.

The landmark proceedings weren’t the most attention-grabbing aspect of Harry’s appearance today, as the Prince revealed how invasive media coverage has impacted his life.

READ MORE: Prince Harry spurred by Meghan’s example into taking legal actionREAD MORE: Prince Harry trial LIVE: ‘My social circles weren’t leaky and I’m not Mr Mischief’

‘I’m not Mr Mischief’

Speaking on behlaf of ANL during today’s hearing, Antony White KC claimed while cross-examining the Duke that he had used a Facebook profile named “Mr Mischief” to contact Mail On Sunday journalist Charlotte Griffiths, who the barrister claimed moved in the duke’s “social circles”.

Mr White suggested that the duke “exchanged friendly messages” using the so-called “Mr Mischief” account, and his mobile number with her on social media. However, Harry denied he had used the name “Mr Mischief”, saying he had “never” done so, adding he had “no idea” if he had exchanged messages with Ms Griffiths on Facebook.

‘My social circles were not leaky’

Continuing his questions against the Duke, Mr White suggested he had known his social circle was “leaky”, something Harry was quick to deny.

Harry replied: “My social circles were not leaky, I want to make that absolutely clear.” He added that if he had become suspicious of someone, “I would have to cut contact with this person”.

Prince ‘always expected’ to be followed

In written evidence, the Prince claimed that people who dated him had experienced “full blown harassment”, adding he understood he was “under 24-hour surveillance” while travelling. He said: “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.”

The moment Prince’s ‘bubble burst’

In his written evidence, the Duke of Sussex said that the “bubble burst” after he stepped down as a working senior royal in 2020 and moved to North America.

Describing claims against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, Harry said: “It was only really within the past few years that I found out that other individuals within or associated with the Institution, such as my friend Marko, had brought phone hacking claims against NGN.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the bubble burst in terms of what I knew in 2020 when I moved out of the United Kingdom.”

‘They have made my wife’s life an absolute misery’

The Duke of Sussex appeared on the verge of tears as he concluded his evidence at the High Court in London, becoming upset as he mentioned his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.

He said, voice faltering, and appearing on the verge of tears: “They continue to come after me, they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord.”