Prince Harry, who shook the British monarchy when he and Meghan Markle announced that they were leaving the institution, has open lawsuits against the press in his country.
Prince Harry maintained that the "perverse" actions undertaken by British newspapers to obtain exclusives generated "paranoia" and "mistrust" and had an impact on "all areas" of his life, from security to relationships.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, appeared this Tuesday as a witness before the High Court of London in the case opened against the group Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), accused of having engaged in dubious practices such as the illegal interception of telephones to generate information and sell newspapers.
The youngest son of King Charles III has responded to questions from MGN's defense lawyer, Andrew Green, while his witness statement, a written document with the points raised during this hearing, was released in the United Kingdom.
"He felt like he couldn't trust anyone."
Prince Harry, who currently resides in the United States with his wife and two young children, said the stories aired - gathered through illegal wiretapping - not only caused security problems but also damaged personal relationships.
"I would like to emphasize that the actions of these media outlets had a profound impact on every aspect of my life. They fueled a sense of paranoia in my relationships because I found it difficult to trust anyone whose name appeared in their articles, whether it was someone as close as the former Royal Household employee Mark Dyer, my former nanny Tiggy, or even my own brother," he revealed.
He expressed deep regret over the fact that he felt unable to trust anyone, a profoundly unsettling sensation, particularly given his young age at the time. He pointed out that he had always heard people describe his mother, the late Lady Diana, as "paranoid," but he now understands that she was not paranoid; she was genuinely fearful of the events surrounding her. He recognized that he, too, faced a similar situation.
Regarding Diana, he acknowledged that having found out that more than 8 payments were made to private investigators about her makes him feel "physically sick."
