Prince Harry's 'Vindicating' Court Victory Validates Harassment Claims Against Tabloids

Prince Harry might be living his new life under the California sun with wife Meghan Markle and their family these days, but he's still got the UK on his mind, for better or for worse. The Duke of Sussex's most recent court victory validates all of his harassment claims against the tabloids. As many royal fans can recall, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pulled the plug on their working relationship with the monarchy back in 2020 for many different reasons. What's more, things were so bad for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan that the couple ultimately abandoned royal life out of fear for their safety. Prince Harry was not only worried about his family's security, but he was also tired of how the British press treated him and Meghan. 

Unfortunately, Harry's bad relationship with the press goes way back, which is one of the many reasons why he took the Mirror Group Newspapers to court in his phone hacking lawsuit. And his court victory in the case affirms the fact that he has lived life in fear, as he could never really pick up a phone without worrying if his private conversations weren't being used as tabloid fodder.

According to People, Prince Harry has claimed victory in his court case against the Mirror Group Newspapers. The judge in the case, Justice Fancourt, ruled that Harry was indeed the victim of phone hacking and "unlawful information-gathering." In other words, the court concluded that the tabloids hacked the prince's phone in hopes they could obtain juicy information about his personal life, which is a claim that former The Sun editor Piers Morgan has vehemently denied. However, the court did not say that Morgan had hacked Prince Harry's phone, but instead found that the British television personality knew the unlawful snooping was happening. Harry claimed that a lot of personal information about his life, including his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, ended up in stories that appeared in MGN papers. Because of this, Harry grew very paranoid and felt like he couldn't trust anyone because he wasn't sure who was leaking these stories about him.

That said, Harry's lawyer David Sherbourne released a statement from his client stating that their win was a "great day for truth as well as accountability," while noting the victory was both "vindicating and affirming." The Duke of Sussex went on to say that, "I've been told that slaying dragons will get you burned," but added, "It's a worthwhile price to pay. The mission continues."