Prince Harry Appears Before London Court in Phone-Hacking Case
The Facts
Prince Harry on Tuesday began submitting evidence as part of a high-profile appearance before the London High Court, as his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) ramps up. MGN faces allegations of phone-hacking and other illegal forms of information gathering.
The Prince submitted a 55-page witness statement, claiming that journalists from MGN’s subsidiaries — the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and The People — illegally accessed voicemails on his phone and used them to produce stories, which MGN denies.
The Spin
Narrative A
Prince Harry is taking a brave stand. Despite facing relentless media scrutiny throughout his childhood, much of the royal family turned a blind eye to invasions of privacy in return for favorable coverage. The Duke's significant public profile should not deny him the right to privacy afforded to every other citizen, and we should respect him for fighting back against unscrupulous media forces that stop at nothing in pursuit of content for their tabloid publications.
Narrative B
It is fitting that Prince Harry failed to show up to the first day of hearings for his lawsuit against MGN, considering that he has made a living off complaining without taking any real action against the alleged malign forces plaguing his life. Harry has undoubtedly been subject to an invasive press that occasionally goes too far, but this is to be expected given his royal status. It is clear that the Duke's characterization of these infrequent infringements of privacy by journalists is dramatically exaggerated.
