Queen Elizabeth II 'fully supported' Prince Harry's legal battle against the British press
Harry said the Queen had urged him to "see this through to the end"
ITV/PA
The late Queen Elizabeth "supported" Prince Harry's legal battle against the tabloid press and urged him to "see it through", the prince has claimed.
Speaking to ITV for the broadcaster's "Tabloids on Trial" documentary, Harry said he had spoken to his grandmother on a number of occasions about his ongoing campaign against the media.
He said: "We had many conversations before she passed and this is very much something that she supported.
"She knew how much this meant to me, and she's very much up there saying 'see this through to the end'."
The Duke of Sussex claimed his grandmother had urged him to "see it through"
ITVHarry's comments that he was in touch with the Queen in her latter years stands in stark contrast to reports of a large-scale falling-out with other members of the family.
But the Queen also had form for taking on the press. Last year, emails disclosed to the High Court showed that Elizabeth sanctioned a decision to threaten the Sun and the Times publishers News Group Newspapers (NGN) with legal action in 2018.
The move by the late monarch had, according to the emails, stemmed from a frustration with NGN's lack of response to claims about phone-hacking.
Though in further court documents, Prince Harry has alleged that the Queen was aware of a "secret agreement" between NGN and Buckingham Palace in which the latter would not sue the former.
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Elizabeth sanctioned a decision to sue News Group Newspapers, emails to the High Court revealed
PA
However, that allegation has been vehemently denied by both NGN and the palace - while a judge rejected it as "implausible".
Harry remains entrenched in a battle with the publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering; the prince insists it hacked the phones and breached the privacy of some 42 claimants , while NGN has said the 42 had left it too late to sue.
Both sides will face a full trial in January 2025.
Despite his barrister David Sherborne telling the High Court earlier this year that a settlement may have to be reached before that point over "impossible" legal fees, Harry has remained steadfast.
Harry told ITV that he was determined to see the case through to the end
ITV
Harry remains entrenched in a legal battle over alleged unlawful information gathering
PA
He told ITV that he was determined to see the case through to the end - and has insisted that he was the only person able to do so.
Harry said: "I don't think there's anybody else in the world that is better suited to be able to see this than myself... I'm trying to get justice for everybody.
"If I can get to trial, we're talking over a decade’s worth of evidence that has never been heard. That's the goal.
"That evidence needs to come to the surface and after that, the police can make their mind up because the public and this country deserve better."
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