Historical statement: Prince Harry is on the witness stand today Picasso painting raises 3.4 million euros in Cologne

Britain is preparing for a historic day of justice: Prince Harry is the first member of the royal family to take the witness stand in more than 130 years. Son of King Charles III is scheduled to testify in person in the London trial of publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) on Tuesday. The 38-year-old accuses the MGN newspapers “Daily Mirror”, “Sunday Mirror” and “People” of illegally eavesdropping and spying on him – even as a minor – for years.

The High Court in the British capital is examining a total of 33 articles. The first is from September 16, 1996. “Diana so sad on Harry’s big day,” the “Mirror” captioned a report that mother Princess Diana reportedly spent little time with her son on his twelfth birthday.

Another article is about Harry’s minor surgery after a sports accident at his school – including medical details. Again and again in the picture: the love life of the prince. “People” reported in April 2009 that Harry “bombarded” his old girlfriend Chelsy Davy with messages to win her back.

sown distrust

“No aspect of the young prince’s life was safe,” Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said Monday. School, friends and family were targeted by the press for private details and scandals. As a result, mistrust had been sown between Harry and his older brother Prince William, and relations with Chelsy Davy had broken up publicly. “The ups and downs and ins and outs of their relationship, the beginning, the breakup and finally the breakup, were revealed and dissected across the three magazines of The Mirror Group,” Sherborne said.

The revelations were clearly driven by “illegal activity”. “These methods acted like a spider’s web around the Prince in the hopes of intercepting valuable information they illegally sought, some of which became stories,” Sherborne said. With Harry’s friend Guy Pelly, one of the royal family’s closest confidants was also targeted by the MGN newspapers.

“complete speculation”

In the case of civil class action lawsuits, the cases of various celebrities are treated as an example. The focus is on how engaged the publishing company’s management level was with the practices. MGN attorney Andrew Green dismissed the allegations as “fairytale” and “complete speculation”. The process began on May 10 and is expected to be completed by the end of June. The ruling is not expected until later in the year. If Harry and the other celebrities are right, the court should award them damages.

It was actually expected that Harry would participate in the trial on Monday. Surprisingly, the 38-year-old did not appear – much to the judge’s apparent chagrin. He criticized that witnesses should be available a day before testifying.

Harry must now scrutinize the questions of the other party’s lawyer. The court gave MGN representative Andrew Green an extra half day for questioning. The questioning could be a painful experience for Harry, media lawyer Matthew Dando told the BBC. The stakes are incredible and the presentation of evidence creates additional uncertainty. The aim is to undermine the credibility of the witness. “There is almost nothing that is taboo. It can invade all areas of personal and private life,” Dando said.

For Harry, the statement and lawsuits against a total of three tabloid media publishers – the other two cases are still pending – are part of his stated life goal to reshape the press landscape. He has long accused the tabloid press of being responsible for the accidental death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997 and of ruining his own life.

Part of the monarchy’s public image is that processes don’t matter. The last king to be cross-examined in 1891 was the later King Edward VII. He was heard as a witness in a card fraud case.

The trial could boost Harry’s popularity, particularly among young people who are increasingly critical of the institution, Royals expert Pauline Maclaran of London’s Royal Holloway University told the BBC. In this case, he is considered an outsider. “Many young people see him as a heroic figure who fights against the establishment,” she said. (sda/dpa)