Prince Harry warned Royal Family at risk of becoming a 'laughing stock'
Prince Harry claimed the Royal family would become a 'laughing stock' if he was not allowed to go ahead with a phone hacking case
PA
Prince Harry claimed the Royal family would become a “laughing stock” if he was not allowed to go ahead with a phone hacking case against the publisher of The Sun newspaper.
The conversations were unveiled during a three-day preliminary High Court hearing, after an attempt by News Group Newspapers (NGN) to “strike out” his phone hacking claim on the grounds that it was brought too late.
Emails submitted to the court on Thursday also revealed that the late Queen was aware that The Sun had been spying on her family and their friends.
The Duke told Sally Osman, the then royal director of communications, that the late Queen “fully supported” him in his campaign.
Emails revealed that the late Queen was aware that The Sun had been spying on her family and their friends
PA
Harry has alleged that a "secret agreement" was arranged between the palace and NGN that would delay finding a resolution until other court cases were resolved.
According to the Duke, he was "kept in the dark" by the palace about the extent of the phone hacking.
He said that it was on the run up to his marriage to Meghan Markle in May 2018 that he pushed for a resolution in fear that the “main culprits” would be among the congregation.
An email in 2017 from the palace, which was submitted by Harry's legal team, appears to show royal staff attempting to resolve the phone hacking claims.
Osman wrote to Robert Thomson, the News Corp chief executive saying it was time to “draw a line” under the dispute.
“The fact that we can have this conversation, with the Queen’s full authority and knowledge of the scale and effect of hacking and surveillance on her family, their staff, associates, friends and family, is important with a view to resolution in the near future,” she added.
In a separate email the following year, Osman told Thomson of “an increasing sense of frustration here at the lack of response or willingness to engage in finding a resolution”.
Prince Harry had complained to Osman that the publisher appeared to be doing “whatever it could” to prevent legal action.
In February 2018 he wrote: “The institution is supposed to be leading on this and is being made to look ineffective and weak.
“I can’t begin to tell you what it will say about the institution if this isn’t resolved before the baby arrival and wedding. If it isn’t resolved should the Queen be allowing them into Windsor on May 19th?
“There needs to be an ultimatum otherwise this institution and everything it stands for becomes a laughing stock.”
The Duke said it was on the approach to his marriage to Meghan Markle in May 2018 that he pushed for a resolution
PA
A month later, the sent another email which said: “With HM fully supporting this I don’t think I need to remind anyone how important it is to resolve this before the end of April.
"Putting her in the position of having to invite these people into Windsor Castle without resolution is not an option.”
In 2019, the Duke filed his lawsuit against NGN along with actor Hugh Grant who is launching a similar claim against the publisher.
In a witness statement, Grant said: “My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me.”
Justice Fancourt will give a ruling on whether Grant’s and the Duke’s claims will progress to a trial, due to be heard in January next year, at a later date.