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Prince Harry finds himself embroiled in a new legal battle. The youngest son of King Charles III, along with several celebrities, has filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Daily Mail newspaper. However, this time, the odds might be against the Duke of Sussex.
Harry, singer Elton John, actress Elizabeth Hurley, and Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, among other public figures, have accused the publisher of hiring private detectives to tap their phones, place listening devices in their cars, and access private records to write their articles.
However, Associated Newspapers' legal team denied the allegations in a statement released on Monday. In the document, the publisher asserts that the case is "without foundation and is an affront to the hard-working professional journalists whose reputations and integrity, as well as that of Associated itself, are wrongly impugned."
In the particular case of Prince Harry, statements he made in the past in interviews and in his memoir could be used against him in court.
Harry's statements
In Associated's written defense, lawyers noted that during the time period in question, Harry had provided the media with intimate information about himself and his family.
They also stated, "The claimant also revealed the most intimate and private matters about himself in his autobiography, 'Spare,' published in 2023, and similarly, in interviews given to Tom Bradby and Oprah Winfrey in October 2019, March 2021, and January 2023."
They warned that they will use those statements in their defense, stating, "Associated reserves the right to refer to further such examples following disclosure." Furthermore, they claimed that the Duke had filed this complaint "opportunistically" following the success of his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers.
The Prince's other lawsuits
The British tabloid coverage of his life has been a constant headache for the Duke of Sussex, who has not hesitated to take his claims to court.
In early 2024, the prince reached a settlement with Mirror Group, which he accused of hacking his phone and gathering information through illegal methods. Harry's lawyers assured that the publisher will pay a substantial sum for the damage caused to the Prince's integrity.
"This case is not just about hacking - it is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior, followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings," said David Sherborne, attorney of the Prince.