Prince Harry Makes Latest Plea For Privacy: “There’s A Big Difference Between What Interests The Public & What Is Public Interest”

Prince Harry has made another plea for privacy in his first public comments about his landmark legal war with British tabloid newspapers.

The Duke of Sussex has given an interview to ITV documentary Tabloids On Trial, in which he reflects on a court ruling that he was the target of unlawful information gathering by Mirror Group Newspapers.

Prince Harry described last December’s judgment as a big moment. “To go in there and come out and have the judge rule in our favor was obviously huge,” he said. “But for him to go as far as he did with regard to, you know, this wasn’t just the individual people. This went right up to the top…this was lawyers, this was high executives. And to be able to achieve that in a trial that’s a monumental victory.”

Reflecting on intrusions into his privacy, Prince Harry told ITV News journalist Rebecca Barry that he has carried “paranoia, fear, worry, concern,” and distrust of the people around him.

“There’s a big difference between what interests the public and what is public interest,” said the prince, who has opened up his life for a major Netflix documentary series and penned a memoir revealing secrets about senior British royals.

In Tabloids On Trial, which airs Thursday, Prince Harry admits that his legal battles with Mirror Group, News Group Newspapers, and Associated Newspapers have deepened the rift with his family.

“Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he said.

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons.”

Prince Harry also speculated that his mother, Princess Diana, had been hacked by tabloid journalists, even though this has not been proven in court.

He said: “There is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-90s, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid. But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”

Mirror Group Newspapers told ITV: “We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago. Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation.”

Tabloids On Trial premieres on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm BST on Thursday.