Prince Harry was victim of ‘extensive’ phone hacking, UK High Court rules

London (CNN) — The Duke of Sussex was awarded £140,600 ($179,000) on Friday after the UK High Court ruled he was the subject of “extensive” phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) from 2006 to 2011.

Justice Fancourt ruled that 15 stories published about Prince Harry by MGN used unlawful information gathering methods such as hacking of voicemail messages and the use of private investigators.

In all, 33 articles had been submitted for consideration, but the judge ruled “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.”

The Duke of Sussex sued the British newspaper group, which publishes The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, alongside three other claimants and alleged its journalists illegally intercepted his voicemails and used other illicit means over a roughly 15-year period.

Prince Harry described his win against MGN as “a great day for truth, as well as accountability,” in a statement read by his lawyer David Sherborne outside the court in London.

“The court has ruled that unlawful and criminal activities were carried out at all three of Mirror Group’s newspaper titles (The Mirror, The Sunday Mirror and The People) on a habitual and widespread basis for more than a decade,” the 39-year-old royal said.

Prince Harry urged the financial regulator, the Metropolitan Police and prosecuting authorities to “do their duty for the British public and investigate bringing charges against the company and those who have broken the law.”

He also called for a “free and honest press,” in Great Britain and globally, saying that “anything else is poisoning the well of a profession we all depend on.”

He added: “Today’s ruling is vindicating and affirming. I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned. But in light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press – it’s a worthwhile price to pay. The mission continues.”

The prince’s legal team said he was unable to present his statement in person due to the “short notice” given by the court.

First royal in witness box in 130 years

In a summary of his ruling, the judge said the publisher began to use phone hacking in 1996 and that from 2006 to 2011 the practice “was still extensive during those years” at MGN but the prince’s phone “was only hacked to a modest extent.”

An MGN spokesperson said the publisher welcomed the judgment “that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago,” according to PA Media.

“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken
full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation,” the spokesperson added.

The prince became the first senior member of the British royal family to give evidence on a witness stand in more than 130 years, when he appeared in court back in June.

MGN’s lawyer, Andrew Green, put the royal under forensic and detailed questioning, probing him on the specifics of his claims and occasionally left him scrambling to recall sections of his written statement or find pieces of evidence.

In June, Prince Harry told the courtroom the distress the press caused him during his youth, saying the articles published by the MGN played a “destructive role” in his adolescence.

The suit is just one of several that the Duke of Sussex has brought against major UK newspaper publishers, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) and Daily Mail publishers Associated Newspapers Limited. NGN publishes the Sun and used to produce News of the World, which it shut down in 2011 over its own phone-hacking scandal.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Max Foster contributed to this report.