(LONDON) Prince William, heir to the British crown, “recently” reached a settlement in a voicemail hacking case with a British tabloid, his brother Harry claims in court documents released on Tuesday, a claim denied by the court. press group to which this medium belongs.
38-year-old Harry is at war with the tabloid press he holds responsible for the death of his mother Diana in a car accident in 1997 in Paris while she was being chased by paparazzi.
He has launched legal action against British newspapers which he accuses of illegally gathering information, including against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the now defunct Sun and News of the World.
As part of the empire of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, NGN rejects the accusations made by Harry, deeming them too late.
In documents produced for a three-day hearing this week, Prince Harry’s lawyers reveal that William, with whom he has a notoriously sour relationship, “recently” struck a deal with NGN “behind the scenes”.
Prince William’s services declined to comment, while NGN lawyer Anthony Hudson denied there was an agreement with Prince William.
Prince Harry’s advice also justifies the delay in initiating the prosecution proceedings by a “secret agreement” between the royal family and the media group.
“The reason was to avoid the situation where a member of the royal family had to be in the witness box and recount the details of private and highly sensitive voicemails that had been intercepted,” Harry argues.
“The institution was incredibly nervous about it,” he added, with the documents claiming Harry learned of the deal in 2012.
NGN settled the voicemail hacking scandal in 2021 with a dozen personalities including actress Sienna Miller.
For their part, Harry and Elton John are among the personalities who are suing the publisher of the Daily Mail, whom they accuse of having illegally collected information, in particular by using the services of private detectives.
Harry’s troubled relationship with the media has been further strained since he announced in 2020 with a bang his departure with his wife Meghan from the United Kingdom and any active role within the British royal family.
In documents released Tuesday, he described the tabloids as a “third party” in any romantic relationships he may have had, accusing them of trying to lead them to failure.
“At no time have I had a girlfriend or a relationship with anyone without the tabloids stepping in and ultimately failing them, or trying to fail them, using whatever what illicit means at their disposal,” he asserted.
Harry said he felt like the tabloids “owned” him and needed to “know everything” about him, his whereabouts and those around him.
