Why Are Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Suing Tabloid Papers?

5 October 2019, 08:36

Andrew Castle spoke to a former Mirror editor and media advisor to find out why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are suing tabloid papers and what could happen next.

Andrew Castle asked: "Are they the victims of the press or willing participants?"

Paul Connew replied: "It's a very difficult one. This is potentially an extraordinary legal action that could see prince Harry in the witness box and also a number of former News International and Mirror Group editors, perhaps Piers Morgan, now an eminent and controversial broadcaster, and Rebekah Brooks back as the CEO of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers."

These allegations are related to phone-hacking.

Connew added: "It's a strange one but I do think the timing is significant. Prince Harry has declared a one man war on the tabloid newspapers and I know there are many in royal circles, senior royal circles and their advisors, who are alarmed by his particular stance at the moment.

Not least his statement of a few days ago and also the lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday which could well mean Meghan appearing in the witness box."

Castle explained that Prince Harry is suing the Mail on Sunday for breach of copyright, infringement of her privacy and a breach of the data protection act. They published a handwritten note to her dad Thomas of her asking him to stop speaking to the papers, he then handed it to the papers who put it on their front page.

Connew told Andrew that the Mail on Sunday will probably lose the case and would have been wiser to publish the story without publishing the actual note.

Connew then went on to explain that Prince Harry "is clearly angry about the way his wife has been treated" and although he will get support for his actions, there has also been "a lot of criticism".

He went on: "There's a feeling he is conflating different things here.

Of course, there has been critical press, perhaps some of it unfair, that he didn't like or Meghan didn't like"

But, he said, they may also resent legitimate stories. He cited examples of criticisms of hypocrisy for traveling by private jet to climate change summits.

Connew then asked: "I do question why, as this has been known about for years, Prince Harry has now decided to take legal action."