From James Hewitt to Paul Burrell: Five key claims from Prince Harry's explosive phone hacking witness statement
6 June 2023, 12:22 | Updated: 6 June 2023, 13:04
Prince Harry has made a series of explosive claims in his witness statement as he gives evidence as part of his phone hacking case against the Daily Mirror publisher.
In the statement, Harry addresses a series of controversial figures and rumours from James Hewitt to his mum's former butler Paul Burrell.
Harry arrived outside the Rolls Building in central London at 9.36am in a black Range Rover, wearing a black suit, walking into the building without answering reporters' questions
The duke's case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) started on Monday, though was rebuked by the case's judge after he did not show up.
As Harry prepared to give evidence in the High Court on Tuesday, his 55-page witness statement was published.
Court artist sketches Duke of Sussex giving evidence at High Court
Here are five key claims Harry makes.
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Prince Harry called Paul Burrell a 'two-faced s***'
One extraordinary claim made by Prince Harry in his witness statement centres around Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, who published a controversial book about Harry's mum.
In his statement, the duke speaks about "the way he had sold our mother’s possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her."
"We firmly believed that she would have expected some privacy in death, especially from someone she had trusted, and we were so upset at the way he was behaving – I didn't want to hear his reasons for it."
In one article, published by The People on 28 December 2003, Harry is reported to have called his mum's former butler as a "two-faced s***".
In his statement, Harry confirms this is something he would have said.
"I also would have used the phrase 'two-face s***', as is reported, and believe this could have been lifted directly from a voicemail I had left," the duke wrote.
Prince Harry slams 'rock bottom' Government
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex also launched a scathing double attack on the "rock bottom" government and the press, who he says are "in bed together".
Prince Harry said: "On a national level as, at the moment, our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.
"Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.
"I may not have a role within the Institution but, as a member of the British Royal family, and as a soldier upholding important values, I feel there’s a responsibility to expose this criminal activity in the name of public interest.
"The country and the British public deserve to know the depths of what was actually happening then, and indeed now. We will be better off for it."
Press wants to 'end marriage with Meghan Markle'
Prince Harry has put his relationships - romantic and platonic, old and new - at the centre of his case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
The duke accuses the press of seeking to try and break up any new relationship he got into "by putting as much strain on it...as humanly possible".
Harry says this has continued, even now he is married to Meghan Markle.
"Whenever I got into a relationship, they were very keen to report the details but would then, very quickly, seek to try and break it up by putting as much strain on it and creating as much distrust as humanly possible," he said.
"This twisted objective is still pursued to this day even though I’m now married.
"I simply don’t understand (and never have) how the inner, private details of my relationships ... could have anything to do with the well-being of society or the running of the country and therefore be in the public interest."
Read More: Spotify slashes 200 more jobs after Harry and Meghan Archetypes podcast deal fails to pay off
Prince Harry says his mum 'wasn't paranoid' amid James Hewitt rumours
Prince Harry also addressed widespread rumours that his biological father was actually James Hewitt, who Princess Diana had an affair with while married to the then Prince of Wales.
Harry wrote: "Numerous newspapers had reported a rumour that my biological father was James Hewitt, a man my mother had a relationship with after I was born.
"At the time of this article and others similar to it, I wasn't actually aware that my mother hadn't met Major Hewitt until after I was born."
Read More: Harry set to give evidence in hacking trial as judge rebukes him for first day no-show
The duke says this left him feeling "constantly suspicious of everyone" around him.
"I've always heard people refer to my mother as paranoid, but she wasn't," he continued,.
"She was fearful of what was actually happening to her and now I know that I was the same."
Regarding the rumours, Harry said rumours about Hewitt being his "biological father" made him fear "I might be ousted from the Royal Family"
Piers Morgan's 'behaviour' makes me 'feel physically sick'
Directly naming the Daily Mirror's former editor Piers Morgan, Prince Harry wrote in his statement: "The thought of Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother's private and sensitive messages (in the same way as they have me)."
The duke said this made "even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour."
Mr Morgan has previously been dismissive of Prince Harry's claims against MGM - the Mirror's publisher.
Last month, he said he was “not going to take lectures on privacy invasion” from the Duke of Sussex.
