LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have filed at least seven lawsuits against British and U.S. media organisations since 2019 to hold them to account for what they say are breaches of privacy, unlawful practices and false stories about him and his family.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and his wife Meghan — a former U.S. actress — cited media intrusion as one of the reasons for stepping back from royal duties and moving to California in 2020.
Here are details of his lawsuits:
SPLASH NEWS:
In May 2019, Harry won substantial damages and accepted an apology from Splash News and Picture Agency over aerial photographs it had taken of his home in Oxfordshire, central England.
CELEBRITY PHOTO AGENCY X17
The couple filed a U.S. lawsuit in July 2020, alleging that unnamed paparazzi photographers used drones and helicopters to take “illegal” photos of their son, Archie, at their private residence in California when he was 14-months-old.
They reached a settlement with celebrity photo agency X17 in October 2020, with X17 agreeing to stop distributing the images and also apologising to the family.
ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS (ANL) FOR PRINTING MEGHAN’S LETTER
Meghan won a claim against publisher Associated Newspapers in February 2021 after its Mail on Sunday tabloid printed extracts of a letter she had written to her estranged father in 2018. The publisher’s appeal against that ruling was rejected later in 2021.
NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS OVER ALLEGED PHONE-HACKING
Harry launched action in September 2019 against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), which publishes the Sun tabloid and used to produce the now defunct News of the World, accusing the papers of hacking voicemails on his phone.
NGN is seeking to have the case thrown out and preliminary court hearings were held last week.
ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OVER LIBEL CLAIM
Harry launched another lawsuit against ANL in February 2022, for libel over a Mail on Sunday article which accused him of trying to mislead the public about a separate legal battle with the government over his police protection and trying to keep details of that case secret.
A London High Court judge ruled the article was defamatory, and Harry is seeking a ruling in his favour without the need for the case to go to trial, with a decision expected presently. ANL says it has a strong defence.
ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OVER NUMEROUS ALLEGED UNLAWFUL ACTS
Seven public figures, including Harry and singer Elton John, are suing ANL over allegations of phone-tapping and other unlawful activities.
ANL, which denies any wrongdoing by its journalists, is seeking to have the cases thrown out before a trial on the basis that they were brought too late.
MIRROR GROUP NEWSPAPERS OVER ALLEGED PHONE-HACKING
Harry began a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which publishes the Daily Mirror newspaper, at the same as he took action against NGN over allegations of phone-hacking.
A trial to hear the prince’s case and that of several other high-profile figures is due to begin in May, with Harry expected to give evidence himself in June. MGN denies the claims.
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Alison Williams)
