Prince Harry has been extremely vocal about his disdain for the press, especially in his docuseries Harry & Meghan and his memoir Spare. Along with his claims about the press, he’s also talked a lot about his family. While there has been tension between him and the royals since he left the UK and moved to California, lately things seem to be amplified. Now, as Prince Harry partakes in another tabloid lawsuit he’s alleging that his family colluded with the press, and because of this allegedly “the trust is gone” between the Royal Family and the Duke of Sussex.
A source close to King Charles told The Daily Beast that allegedly Prince Harry has “torpedoed any remaining bridges” with his family. They said that the Duke of Sussex has reportedly accused his family of “conditioning” him, and they have withheld information regarding phone hacking. The source explained:
Harry has torpedoed any remaining bridges with this statement. It is just six weeks until the coronation and the last thing Charles needs.
While Prince Harry is in London for this trial the source said that there is a reason why his family hasn’t seen him yet, saying that allegedly:
The trust is gone and I think that’s been made quite clear by the king refusing to meet him.
This claim comes after Prince Harry's statement about the tabloids and his family was read in court. He and six other claimants, which includes Elton John, are alleging that the publisher of The Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Limited, invaded their privacy by hiring private detectives to intercept calls, and they reportedly put tracking and listening devices in their homes and cars.
The Prince had a witness statement that claimed the publisher of The Times and The Sun, News Group Newspapers, colluded with his family. The statement said that there was allegedly an agreement between the royals and NGN that made it so they wouldn’t “engage, or even discuss, the possibility of bringing claims against NGN.” He also claimed that he had been “conditioned to accept” how the press treated him. Prince Harry’s statement continued, and he went into more detail about the agreement that was reportedly in place:
The Institution made it clear that we did not need to know anything about phone hacking and it was made clear to me that the royal family did not sit in the witness box because that could open up a can of worms. The Institution was without a doubt withholding information from me for a long time about NGN’s phone hacking and that has only become clear in recent years as I have pursued my own claim with different legal advice and representation.
The Daily Beast’s report explains that this isn’t the first time Prince Harry has talked about his family allegedly colluding with the press, as stories about this topic were included among the allegations made in Spare.
With King Charles’ coronation approaching on the 2023 TV schedule, it’s unclear if this trial will impact the Prince’s participation in the ceremony. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been invited to the royal event, it’s rumored that they will not be heavily involved in it. This is because information has been leaked revealing they would reportedly not be in the procession and there would be other instructions in place for the royal couple regarding what not to do.
As of now, the trial is ongoing, and there has been no official statement from the Royal Family about Prince Harry’s statement at the trial. So, as the coronation approaches and this trial continues, we’ll be sure to keep you updated about how the current proceedings affect the Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his family.
