Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Biographer Omid Scobie denies being ‘mouthpiece’

Prince Harry’s unofficial biographer, Omid Scobie, has given bombshell evidence at the royal’s phone-hacking trial in London.

Prince Harry’s unofficial biographer has denied having a “vested interest” in helping him, as he gave evidence at a trial considering unlawful information-gathering claims against a British tabloid publisher.

Omid Scobie, co-author of a best-selling 2020 book about Harry and his wife Meghan, Finding Freedom, took the stand as part of the High Court trial in London on Monday local time where Prince Harry is one of the high-profile claimants.

Prince Harry leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in March. Picture: Belinda Jiao/Getty Images

Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of the British newspaper The Mirror, is accused by Prince Harry and other celebrities of unlawful information gathering, including voicemail tapping.

Prince Harry has been involved in several legal cases against British newspapers since stepping down from royal duties in early 2020 and moving to California.

He is expected to give evidence at the MGN trial in June.

Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie.

The book looked at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from royal life.

During his cross-examination by MGN’s lawyer Andrew Green, Scobie was asked if he had a “vested interest in helping the Duke of Sussex if the opportunity arises”, referring to Prince Harry by his formal title.

Scobie denied this and said his appearance in court is “giving ammunition to the tabloids” and “making my life more difficult”.

He said he did not have Prince Harry’s phone number, and that he was wrongly described as a “cheerleader” for the royal couple.

“I don’t have a close relationship with them personally,” he added. In his witness statement, Scobie said he was shown how to hack phone voicemail while spending a week doing work experience at MGN title the Sunday People as a journalism student.

Prince Harryof Sussex arrives at Westminster Abbey for his father’s coronation. Picture: AFP

He told the court he was given a list of mobile numbers and was instructed on how to listen to voicemails “as if it were a routine newsgathering technique”.

Scobie also said that while on work experience at the Mirror he overheard the then-editor Piers Morgan being told that information for a story about singer Kylie Minogue had come from voicemail.

Morgan, editor of the Mirror between 1995 and 2004, has previously denied any involvement in phone hacking.

Green accused Scobie of having created a “false memory” about what happened during his internship.

Scobie replied: “I take offence to that.” At the start of the trial last week, MGN admitted “some evidence” of unlawful information-gathering, but denied any voicemail interception.

The publisher is also arguing that some of the claims have been brought too late.

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Biographer Omid Scobie denies being ‘mouthpiece’