You didn’t need to be in court to understand the intense press interest in Prince Harry.
The crowd of cameras outside said it all.
This is nothing new for harrybut stepping into the witness stand was uncharted territory.
Here was a royal elder, the king’s son, undergoing interrogation in a court.
That just doesn’t happen. Well, not since 1891, and Edward VII’s testimony only lasted 20 minutes.
Harry’s interrogations were all day, fast and hard.
But if Mirror Group’s legal team had hoped to goad him, it didn’t work.
Read more:
Piers Morgan reacts after criticism of Harry
What articles were raised in Duke’s case?
Watch: Reconstructing Harry at Court
Harry’s witness statement he set out, like a manifesto, his mission to try to change the way the media work.
And that’s because, as he says, he’s had a “front row seat” when it comes to using the press illegal means of obtaining stories.
Stories that he says all “played a disruptive role” as he grew up.
These aren’t new allegations or revelations, but what we did hear was Harry’s account of the impact they had, which he says was “profound.”
We heard how the newspapers typed him, and those tropes and stereotypes shaped how he behaved.
She spoke about the rumors that James Hewitt is her father, how “mean and cruel” they were.
Prince Harry’s court case as it happened
And his biggest criticism was for the journalists who “cowardly” did not testify and the editors who, according to him, turned a blind eye to phone hacking.
Piers Morganthe name came up more than once. Prince Harry says he and Meghan have faced “horrendous personal attacks and intimidation” from Morgan because he has brought this claim against the Mirror.
But what got us was Harry’s account of how little privacy he’s ever been allowed, despite his privileged position, nothing he says was “off limits”.
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He chose to appear in court, that’s what he wanted. And he remained calm the whole time.
He strongly believes that it is in the public interest to expose what he believes to be criminal activity. Even adding to his witness statement, “We’ll do better.”
His lawyers are said to be happy with how it went.
But this is only the first day, and Harry will face a lot more tomorrow.
Harry in Court – Watch the special on Sky News tonight at 9pm