Prince Harry was 'very pleased' with how he performed in court, Elton John's husband says
23 June 2023, 09:25 | Updated: 23 June 2023, 09:29
Prince Harry was satisfied with his performance in court during his privacy trial against the publisher of the Mirror, Sir Elton John's husband has said.
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The Duke of Sussex was questioned in the High Court over two days earlier this month, becoming the first royal to give evidence in court for 130 years in his case against the Mirror Group Newspapers.
David Furnish, Sir Elton John's husband, said that Harry - who is friends with the couple - was "doing really well" after his gruelling ordeal.
"We are in fairly regular contact,” Mr Furnish said. “He was very pleased with the way things went in court. And he’s doing really well."
Harry, who was one of several co-claimants in the trial, was cross-examined by the Mirror Group's lawyer Andrew Green KC, nicknamed 'The Beast' for his tough questioning style.
Harry and his co-claimants, who include Coronation Street stars Michael Le Vell and Nikki Sanderson, claim that reporters working for Mirror Group Newspapers illegally obtained information about them via methods including phone-hacking. The company is contesting the claims.
Mr Furnish and Sir Elton are among Harry's co-claimants in a separate, similar case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers has denied using unlawful methods to gather information.
The duke was introduced to his own lawyer David Sherborne KC by Sir Elton and Mr Furnish, while he and his wife Meghan Markle were on holiday with the couple. Sir Elton and Mr Furnish were also guests at their wedding.
Mr Furnish told Sky: "I mean, he’s taken a lot of flak in the media, and you have to remember he’s taking on the media.
"So what actually happens in the courtroom and what you read about in the newspaper are often two very, very different things.”
Harry used the trial to launch a scathing double attack on the government and the press, claiming in his witness statement that both are at "rock bottom".
Speaking in his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex 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."
