Court documents released today, Friday, reveal that Prince Harry is seeking damages of up to £320,000 ($405,000) from the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) as the trial concerning the hacking of his phone approaches its conclusion. The prince and approximately one hundred others are suing the organization, which publishes the "Daily Mirror," "Sunday Mirror," and "Sunday People," in the High Court in London for what they claim is illegal phone tapping and information gathering between 1991 and 2011.
The plaintiffs allege that senior editors and executives at the organization were aware of and consented to these violations, while MGN, owned by Reach, states that there is no evidence to support these accusations. Prince Harry asserts that the organization targeted him for 15 years, starting in 1996, claiming that over 140 stories published in the organization’s newspapers resulted from illegally obtained information; however, the trial, concluding today, is only considering 33 stories.
According to the court documents published today, the prince is seeking damages of up to £320,000 related to these 33 articles if the court rules in favor of him concerning all those stories. The court may also consider whether Prince Harry is entitled to what is known as aggravated damages, which the court could grant to a plaintiff for additional harm caused by the defendant.
MGN contends that the articles included in the lawsuit were not published based on illegally obtained information, asserting that there is no evidence of Prince Harry's phone being hacked and that some personal information published about him came from or with the consent of senior aides and advisors at Buckingham Palace.
Court documents state that the publishing organization claims Prince Harry is entitled to only £37,000 even if the court rules in his favor for all the articles, suggesting that he should receive at most £500 in compensation for the singular incident. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has become the first senior member of the British royal family to testify in court in over 130 years, having appeared earlier this month for a day-and-a-half-long examination on the witness stand. The prince, who is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne, expressed his belief that phone hacking occurred widely across the organization’s newspapers.
The trial is scheduled to conclude today, but a ruling is not expected for several months.
