Prince Harry's battle with the British tabloids has taken a new turn as his lawyer has accused the Daily Mail of engaging in a "clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering" over two decades. David Sherborne alleged that the Daily Mail hired private investigators who practiced the "dark arts" to spy on celebrities for scoops, leaving Harry feeling "paranoid beyond belief."
Harry's personal life has been under scrutiny for years, with the media constantly trying to get a scoop out of him. He claimed that he felt his every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just to make money out of it. The intrusions on his loved ones were "terrifying" and created a "massive strain" on his personal relationships.
The lawsuit is part of Harry's mission to reform the media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He also pointed out that persistent press attacks on his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, led them to leave royal life and move to the United States in 2020.
However, the Daily Mail has denied the allegations, calling them "preposterous" and saying that the articles in question were reported with legitimate sources. The defense argues that their witnesses, including editors and reporters who have worked for the newspapers for decades, are lining up to dispute the allegations and explain their sources.
A former private investigator, Gavin Burrows, has come forward claiming he did hundreds of jobs for the Mail between 2000 and 2005, but has since disavowed his sworn statement. The defense argues that Burrows' case collapses without him on the side of the claimants.
The trial in London's High Court is expected to last nine weeks, with Harry returning to the witness box for the second time since he made history by becoming the first senior member of the royal family to testify in more than a century.
Harry's personal life has been under scrutiny for years, with the media constantly trying to get a scoop out of him. He claimed that he felt his every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just to make money out of it. The intrusions on his loved ones were "terrifying" and created a "massive strain" on his personal relationships.
The lawsuit is part of Harry's mission to reform the media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He also pointed out that persistent press attacks on his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, led them to leave royal life and move to the United States in 2020.
However, the Daily Mail has denied the allegations, calling them "preposterous" and saying that the articles in question were reported with legitimate sources. The defense argues that their witnesses, including editors and reporters who have worked for the newspapers for decades, are lining up to dispute the allegations and explain their sources.
A former private investigator, Gavin Burrows, has come forward claiming he did hundreds of jobs for the Mail between 2000 and 2005, but has since disavowed his sworn statement. The defense argues that Burrows' case collapses without him on the side of the claimants.
The trial in London's High Court is expected to last nine weeks, with Harry returning to the witness box for the second time since he made history by becoming the first senior member of the royal family to testify in more than a century.
. Prince Harry's lawsuit against the Daily Mail is a major game-changer, and it's crazy how far back the allegations go - 20 years! It just shows you how ruthless some journalists can be when they're chasing that next big scoop.
. And on top of that, the stress and strain on his relationships with loved ones? That's just heartbreaking 
. It's no wonder they decided to leave the royal life behind.
. You've got to wonder what really went down in those 20 years.
. Nine weeks is a long time, and it's going to be interesting to see how the court plays out all these stories. Harry's been through so much, and it's about time someone held some of these people accountable 
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like who hires private investigators to spy on people and calls it journalism? sounds like a bad James Bond movie to me 
david sherborne is lowkey my spirit animal tho, fighting for justice and all that 
and btw, if they're using the "dark arts" to get scoops, can we get a sequel to the Bourne series now? 
. I mean, come on, the Daily Mail is basically saying it's above the law just 'cause they're old and respected 
. Newsflash: just because you've been around forever doesn't make you untouchable 
. And yeah, using "dark arts" to spy on people is NOT okay 
. I'm all for Harry wanting to reform the media, but if he's gonna take on the Daily Mail, he needs to bring his A-game 
. I'd love to see some concrete evidence before I start believing Harry's side of the story 
. Nine weeks is gonna be a long trial... but hey, at least it'll be entertaining for us mere mortals 
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. Like, can u imagine bein tracked every move u make 24/7 just 4 entertainment? 
it's terrifyin & Harry ain't alone in feelin this way. He lost his mom 2 media frenzy too... now he's tryna reform the system 
... if u r so right then why they need private investigators 2 do their dirty work? Gavin Burrows comes out of nowhere sayin he did hundreds of jobs for them & now his testimony is like "oops, didn't mean it" 
. This trial's gonna be wild 
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HE'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE MEDIATIZATION AND NOW HE'S BEING ACCUSED OF LIVING IN FEAR FOR HIS FAMILY'S SAFETY 
INSTEAD OF JUST PEOPLE WITH PERSONALITIES AND FAMILIES. BUT YEAH, THIS LAWSUIT IS GONNA BE A WILD RIDE 
i feel like she got a raw deal what with everyone picking on her and prince harry being the victim 
. And the fact that they've been doing this for over 20 years is just disgusting 
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. I can see why he'd be traumatized by the media attention and feel like they're just trying to sensationalize everything 
. I wish him and Meghan the best in this ordeal and hope it leads to some real change in the way the media operates 
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. He's been pretty vocal about his anti-royal sentiments lately, so it's hard to say whether this is really about reforming the media or just getting back at the tabloids 
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I mean, who needs a fancy spy agency when you've got the British tabloids on the job, right? 
The whole thing sounds like a bad Bond movie, minus the gadgets and exploding pens (fingers crossed, though). 
. And honestly, if his mom didn't die because of the press attention (which we know is just speculation), maybe Harry wouldn't have felt so triggered by all this now 
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. The idea that they've been using "dark arts" to spy on him and his family is just disgusting 
. I mean, how many people can handle having their every move tracked and monitored for the sake of a scoop? Not me, that's for sure 
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. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be to have your personal life being invaded like that 
. It's no wonder they had to leave the royal family to escape all this craziness 
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That just adds more fuel to the fire! It's crazy to think about how many times these kinds of allegations have happened before and no one has ever really spoken out against it. Fingers crossed for Prince Harry and his team 
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. Harry's gotta be super paranoid now, it's crazy that his every move is under scrutiny just to get clicks and sales 
!
. And it's no wonder Harry's wife Meghan felt like leaving royal life - those press attacks on her must've been super hard to deal with 
. The Daily Mail is basically saying "oh noes, we're not doing anything wrong!" when really they should be taking responsibility for their actions 
!