Prince Harry has revealed the “central” reason behind his ongoing fight with the Royal Family, and it’s not Meghan Markle. According to the Duke of Sussex, the phone hacking scandal is a major factor in the conflict. During his interview with ITV, he placed the blame squarely on the press. This was the first time Harry publicly addressed the rift with his family.
When asked about the connection between his fight against tabloids and the strained relationship with his family, Harry acknowledged the link: “That’s certainly a central piece to it. But, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the Press.” He expressed his wish for his family to join him in battling the tabloids, but also clarified that he’s pursuing this fight for his own reasons as well. “I made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we did it as a family. I believe that, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good,” Harry stated. “But, you know I’m doing this for my reasons,” he added.
Regarding the Royal Family’s decision not to fight the tabloids as he has, Harry believes that the events surrounding the scandal have revealed the truth of the situation. While acknowledging that his actions have caused a rift, he emphasized his commitment to continuing his mission.
In December 2023, a judge in London’s High Court ruled that extensive phone hacking occurred over 15 years during the 1990s and 2000s, including Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) hacking into the Duke of Sussex’s phone to a limited extent. Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, announced during a hearing that a settlement had been reached between MGN and the prince. Harry was awarded £140,600 (over ₹ 1.5 crore) in damages after the court found that 15 out of 33 sample articles in his claim resulted from phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.
