A judge heard Prince Harry say he was unaware of “any evidence” that he had been hacked by a tabloid newsgroup.
He claimed that losing his High Court phone-hacking action against the publisher of the Mirror would be a “injustice.”
The prince was informed by Andrew Green KC of Mirror Group Newspapers that his claims were ‘in the area of complete guesswork’ and that there were no phone records to support them.
Mr. Green questioned Harry during his second day testifying at the Rolls Building: “Are you aware of any evidence that gives any indication whatsoever as to the extent to which you were hacked, if at all?”
The heir apparent in fifth place said, “No. That, my Lord, is part of the reason I’m here.
Later, the KC stated: “You’re presumably aware that there has never been a single call data item sent to your mobile phone from any Mirror Group journalist?”
However, Harry, who was much more cocky and assured than on his first shaky day testifying, retaliated by asserting that the newspaper had destroyed a ton of evidence, including by using “burner phones,” to cover up its misdeeds.
As Harry ended his historic day and a half of testifying at court, he appeared on the verge of tears.
The duke shared information about his erratic love life, including a visit to a strip club, during his last few hours testifying. But he criticized harsh and “disturbing” stories about the end of his romance with his first girlfriend Chelsy Davy that appeared in Mirror Group publications, and he charged The People newspaper with illegally accessing their phone records.
Harry, the most senior royal to testify in court in 132 years, said he may have had his phone hacked by Mirror publications “daily” for 15 years, starting while he was a student at Eton.
He told the trial judge, Mr. Justice Fancourt, that he had been “hacked on an industrial scale” and that there was “hard evidence to suggest an incredible amount of suspiciousness.” He added that he would “feel some injustice” if his claim was rejected.
Harry claimed that articles about him and Ms. Davy in The People were “incredibly suspicious” because they cited “palace sources” at a time when the young pair was being so circumspect that they never revealed “anything” to the Palace.
Harry said that the publication was hiding the information’s true source—phone hacking—by citing “palace sources” in the attribution.
We’re in the world of complete guesswork about whether this is voicemail interception, Mr. Green once asked him. No, not at all, the duke retorted.
Mr. Green questioned the duke over his knowledge of two of Ms. Davey’s friends’ media leaks. I seriously doubt that, he responded. Additionally, the ex-soldier denied accusations made in one story that he “loved the Army more” than Ms. Davey.
He also asserted that Mirror stories were full of errors during a number of brief conversations with Mr. Green.
Recounting a rumor that Ms. Davey “blew her top” over his drunken visit to the “sleazy” lapdancing club Spearmint Rhino, Prince Harry said it was “factually incorrect, actually,” that “one of the girls they asked to dance naked was a tall statuesque blonde who bears more than a passing reference to Prince Harry’s girlfriend Chelsy Davy,” and added, “I’m just saying, my lord
‘I don’t notice any quotes from the, I believe, “Lithuanian lap-dancer” who sat on my lap,’ he informed Mr. Justice Fancourt.
Harry stated in his written testimony, which was made public on Tuesday, “I don’t think Chelsy did go crazy about me going there.” We did discuss it on the phone, but I vowed to her that I hadn’t engaged in a lap dance.
Harry described a night in London when a paparazzi photographer attempted to flee in his car as he and his police protection officers tried to approach him. This happened during his evidence today.
In order to get away, he alleged, the photographer ran a red light and drove on the wrong side of the road, putting “everyone around him” in risk.
He made the decision to avoid the cops, Harry alleged. That’s not typical ‘pap’ behavior. We think his car included a prohibited device.
The 38-year-old duke’s testimony was much more convincing than it was on his first day in the witness stand, when he struggled to support his hacking claims and frequently displayed a lack of awareness that the articles he thought were the result of hacking were actually just follow-ups from other publications and the BBC, or from official palace statements – and in one case, an interview he had given himself.
When pushed further today, he admitted he was not “aware” that the News of the World tabloid had in fact broken a Sunday Mirror story about his breakup with Ms. Davy earlier.
In addition, he said that he was unaware that a story the day before that described him “openly cavorting” with a blonde buddy at Twickenham had been published by the Press Association news agency.
The duke was asked if he knew Omid Scobie after he earlier denied working with the royal author on the eloquent memoir Finding Freedom. Yes, I do, Harry said, swiftly adding, “I know of him.”
The Mirror Group disputes every allegation.
