Prince Harry didn’t hold back in his tell-all interview with Rebecca Barry for ITV’s “Tabloids on Trial.” During the interview, which aired on July 25, he did not mince words when he explained that the tabloids are the reason he won’t take Meghan Markle back to the U.K. He also pointed that unethical journalistic practices like digital correspondence hacking and phone-tapping were major catalysts for his ongoing feud with these publications, and have strained his relationship with Prince William, who had a much different approach to handling the situation. It turns out, however, there was one royal who was on Prince Harry’s side when it came to dealing with the tabloids.
Prince Harry shared that it was Queen Elizabeth II who fully supported his legal battle against Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers. “We had many conversations before she passed and this is very much something that she supported,” he explained to Barry. “She knew how much this meant to me, and she’s very much up there saying ‘see this through to the end.'”
This isn’t all that surprising, despite the fact she reportedly took issue with certain aspects of her grandson and Markle’s way of doing things. Prince Harry had always been framed as her favorite grandchild. Even after his and Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah was released, Queen Elizabeth II still felt “very protective about him.”
Prince Harry’s battle against the media has been relentless. Since stepping away from royal duties, he has made it his mission to hold British tabloids accountable for their intrusive and unethical practices. His determination to seek justice has come at great personal cost, particularly straining his relationship with his brother. The Duke of Sussex emphasized the difficulty of standing alone in this fight, contrasting his approach with Prince William’s “keep it behind closed doors” method.
His legal battles with Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers have been grueling, but he believes he’s uniquely equipped to take them on. “I don’t think there’s anybody else in the world that is better suited to be able to see this than myself… I’m trying to get justice for everybody,” he said. Prince Harry is currently awaiting trial in his case against NGN, hoping to bring to light over a decade’s worth of untouched evidence. “If I can get to trial, we’re talking over a decade’s worth of evidence that has never been heard. That’s the goal.”
In 2023, the High Court ruled in his favor, declaring MGN guilty of extensive phone hacking, awarding him $180,000. “To go in there and come out and have the judge rule in our favor was obviously huge,” Prince Harry remarked. “But for him to go as far as he did with regard to…this wasn’t just the individual people. This went right up to the top…this was lawyers, this was high executives. And to be able to achieve that in a trial that’s a monumental victory.”
Prince Harry’s crusade against the tabloids isn’t just personal; it’s about broader justice. “That evidence needs to come to the surface and after that, the police can make their mind up because the public and this country deserves better,” he asserted.
Prince Harry’s set to receive a $120 million inheritance from her on his 40th birthday this September. Given the high costs of his legal battles, it appears that Queen Elizabeth II’s support for her grandson continues even after her passing.
Click here to see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s complete relationship timeline.
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