Prince Harry says tossing phone hacking claims would be an "injustice"
London, UK - Prince Harry told the High Court in London he would "feel some injustice" if his phone hacking claims against the publisher of the Mirror were rejected, as he concluded giving evidence in his case.
He also claimed the press "misled me and covered up the wrongdoing" for his whole life and went to "extreme lengths to cover their tracks" during a second day in the witness box.
The 38-year-old is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles - which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People - were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called "blagging" or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
He told the court in London on Wednesday: "I believe that phone hacking was [done] on an industrial scale across at least three of the papers at the time ... that is beyond any doubt. To have a decision against me and any of the other people [bringing a claim], given that Mirror Group have admitted hacking, yes, I would feel some injustice ... if it wasn't accepted."
He told Justice Fancourt that he remembered suspicious activity, including missed calls and missing voicemail messages, "from the moment I had a mobile phone."
But MGN's attorney Andrew Green King's Counsel (KC) contended that Harry had no call data evidence and it was "total speculation" that journalists unlawfully obtained the information about him in 33 articles which are at the center of his case.
Facing questions from his own lawyer David Sherborne on Wednesday, Harry denied he had been speculating, saying there was "hard evidence."
The duke told the court: "For my whole life, the press has misled me and covered up the wrongdoing. For me to be sitting here in court knowing the defense has the evidence in front of them, and Mr. Green suggesting I'm speculating, I'm not entirely sure what to say."
In his written evidence, the duke said the alleged hacking of his phone "presented very real security concerns for not only me but also everyone around me."
Prince Harry got emotional on the stand during tabloid court case
The duke also made references to the alleged destruction of evidence and the use of so-called burner phones.
Towards the end of his evidence, he appeared to show some emotion as he was asked how the court process had made him feel, telling Sherborne this experience has been "a lot."
The court also heard from former MGN royal correspondent Jane Kerr, who denied she was involved in unlawful information gathering. Kerr's byline features on a number of the articles that are being examined in the trial of Harry's claim against MGN over alleged unlawful information gathering.
She said in a witness statement: "I have never engaged in voicemail interception at MGN or elsewhere, and I have never engaged the services of private investigators or other third parties to engage in unlawful information gathering activities."
Harry alleges that 147 articles published between 1996 and 2010 by MGN titles contained information gathered using unlawful methods, and 33 have been selected to be considered at the trial. MGN is contesting his claim and has either denied or not admitted that articles about Harry being examined at the trial involved phone hacking or unlawful activity.
The duke's claim is being heard alongside three other representative claims during a trial that began last month and is due to last six to seven weeks.
The three other representative claimants are Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, best known for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, actor Nikki Sanderson and comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman. Sanderson's case is due to start on Thursday.
Cover photo: REUTERS