Lawyers representing Prince Harry and other claimants are seeking to amend the ongoing lawsuit in London against Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Their aim is to allege that the media tycoon was personally involved in covering up wrongdoing. Prince Harry, along with more than 40 others, is suing News Group Newspapers over accusations of unlawful invasions of privacy by its tabloids, namely The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, spanning from the mid-1990s until 2016.
Among the other claimants are notable figures such as film director Guy Ritchie, actor Hugh Grant, several former senior politicians, and campaigner Doreen Lawrence. Additionally, Prince Harry is part of a separate lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
The trial against News Group Newspapers is scheduled to last up to 8 weeks, commencing in January. On Wednesday, lawyers for the claimants requested permission from Judge Timothy Fancourt to introduce new allegations to the case against News Group Newspapers. These new allegations include claims that senior executives provided misleading evidence to Parliament and a public inquiry.
It is alleged that certain individuals, such as M. Doe, knowingly gave false evidence, and Rebecca Brooks, the chief executive of News UK, provided deliberately misleading evidence during her criminal trial in 2014. The claimants also implicated Will LS, a former News International executive and current publisher of the Washington Post, in the alleged cover-up.
In response, a spokesperson for News Group Newspapers stated that the claimants' allegations against current and former staff were a baseless attack on their integrity. They emphasized that these allegations were unrelated to seeking compensation for victims of phone hacking or unlawful information gathering and should be treated with caution. The spokesperson further added that News Group's lawyers deemed the new allegations unnecessary, disproportionate, and irrelevant, as they introduced 200 new journalists, executives, and private investigators into the case.
As for Prince Harry's personal involvement, he himself is suing for the violation of his privacy. There's anticipation regarding how he'll handle putting Murdoch on the stand, given Murdoch's past legal entanglements. Prince Harry seems to perceive himself as a victim of injustices, perhaps fueled by his brother William's previous successful lawsuit against similar invasions of privacy.
However, the case also serves as a platform for Prince Harry to challenge not only Murdoch and Piers Morgan but also to indirectly confront the monarchy. He alleges that the Queen held secret discussions on the matter and even expressed a desire to personally sue News Group Newspapers. Moreover, Prince Harry claims that during a private meeting, the Queen gave him her approval to pursue legal action back in 2018.
Despite lacking concrete evidence, Prince Harry's legal claim also takes aim at his father, Prince Charles, suggesting that he obstructed Harry's timely pursuit of justice. Allegedly, Prince Charles discouraged Harry from suing News Group Newspapers, insinuating that by refraining from legal action, they could garner support upon Charles' ascension to the throne and prevent negative stories about Camilla. Prince Harry overlooks the fact that private settlements were offered to the royals, including himself, and rejects them, possibly driven by a desire to outdo his brother and make a statement against both media intrusion and perceived injustices within the monarchy.
