The Duke of Sussex has won 15 of 33 claims after bringing a High Court phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Mr Justice Fancourt ruled on Friday that Prince Harry's phone was probably hacked “to a modest extent” by the tabloid newspaper publisher.
Prince Harry, 39, had sued MGN for damages over claims that journalists at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People had been involved in phone hacking, "blagging" which is gaining information by deception, and using private investigators for unlawful activities.
Prince Harry was awarded damages of £140,600 – just under a third of the £443,000 he had asked for.
Following the ruling, an MGN spokesperson said: “We welcome today’s judgment that gives 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 appropriate compensation.”
In a summary of his ruling, the judge said: “I have found the duke’s case of voicemail interception and unlawful information gathering proved in part only. I found that 15 out of the 33 articles that were tried were the product of phone hacking of his mobile phone or the mobile phones of his associates, or the product of other unlawful information-gathering.
“I consider that his phone was only hacked to a modest extent and that this was probably carefully controlled by certain people at each newspaper. However, it did happen on occasions from about the end of 2003 to April 2009 (which was the date of the last article that I examined).
"There was a tendency for the duke in his evidence to assume that everything published was the product of voicemail interception because phone hacking was rife within Mirror Group at the time. But phone hacking was not the only journalistic tool at the time and his claims in relation to the other 18 articles did not stand up to careful analysis.”
Mr Justice Fancourt continued: “I have accordingly awarded the duke damages in respect of each of the articles and invoices where unlawful information gathering was proved. I have also awarded a further sum to compensate the duke fully for the distress that he suffered as a result of the unlawful activity directed at him and those close to him.
“I recognise that Mirror Group was not responsible for all the unlawful activity that was directed at the duke, and that a good deal of the oppressive behaviour of the press towards the duke over the years was not unlawful at all. Mirror Group therefore only played a small part in everything that the duke suffered and the award of damages on this ground is therefore modest.”
The duke was not the only high-profile person whose claims against MGN were heard – there were also allegations from actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner (known professionally as Michael Le Vell and famous for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street ) and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife, Fiona Wightman. In Friday 15 December's ruling, Nikki and Fiona's claims were judged to be out of time and had expired.
Earlier this month, Harry was back at the High Court, this time in a legal challenge against the Home Office after his security arrangements were changed.
His lawyer read out part of his statement which said: "It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home.
"The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too."
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