Claims Prince Harry’s life ‘spinning out of control’ after High Court decision
Prince Harry is reportedly “spiralling” and “not well” after he suffered a major legal blow, amid claims his marriage is on shaky ground.
A source says Prince Harry is “spiralling out of control” after he suffered a big legal setback and amid claims he is taking time apart from wife Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex has been licking his wounds after a major part of his case against News Group Newspapers (NGN) — his claim of phone-hacking by the UK’s The Sun — was thrown out by High Court judge Mr Justice Fancourt, citing his testimony’s “lack of credibility”.
The rest of Harry’s claim against the NGN, the publisher of The Sun, will go to trial, the judge ruled. (NGN is owned by the same parent company as News Corp Australia, publisher of this masthead.)
Still, the setback was another blow to Prince Harry, and comes after he and Meghan were branded “f**king grifters” by a Spotify executive after the company ditched their multimillion-dollar podcast deal after one series.
The couple has also been dogged by claims their marriage is in trouble, which their representatives deny.
Now, a source tells the US Sun things with Harry are “not well” after the High Court ruling.
“There is a bit of a feeling Harry is spiralling out of control and all is not well,” the source said.
“Members of his family are worried about how he is coping and his determination to keep having legal battles.”
The 40-page Approved Judgement by the High Court judge has plunged the prince into a crisis.
The damning ruling, the first time the evidence of a royal has been questioned so thoroughly, concluded Harry’s case had “not reached the necessary threshold of plausibility and cogency”.
It adds the “lack of credibility arises from: the unexplained lateness of the plea … the improbability of a secret agreement being made in the terms pleaded … the absence of any explanation for the new factual case being raised; and absence of any other witness or documentary evidence to support it.”
Delivered at the imposing High Court building, bearing the Royal Coat of Arms, the judgement added Prince Harry had signed two “statements of truth” that were “inconsistent” with his evidence.
The Duke is suing The Sun publisher NGN, alleging phone-hacking and other unlawful activities, which are denied.
His claim of a “secret agreement” between Buckingham Palace and newspaper executives was central to his legal argument.
In his testimony, Harry — represented by A-list barrister David Sherborne — argued the deal meant he was blocked by royal courtiers in 2012 from launching a claim against NGN.
Harry, who has been involved in six High Court legal battles in recent months, had used the “secret agreement” claim to explain why he had not brought his case sooner.
He launched his claim against the now-closed News of the World and The Sun in 2019 claiming hacking between 1996 and 2011.
By law, claimants have six years to start legal action after they allege activity took place.
The judge said the time had “therefore expired” when Harry started his claim in 2019.
The Prince had tried to amend his case at a late stage to insert the “secret agreement” detail – described by The Sun’s King’s Counsel (KC) Anthony Hudson as “Alice in Wonderland stuff” at an earlier hearing.
Mr Justice Fancourt questioned how Harry could claim he did not know about hacking, while also insisting he had been blocked from taking action by the supposed backroom deal.
“The Duke is unable to say who on each side made the secret agreement, or even who told him about it: it might have been Gerrard Tyrell (a lawyer representing the royals) or it might have been another representative of the Royal Family,” he wrote.
“The evidence in support of the pleaded case is limited to that of the Duke. It is not strong evidence.
“One might have expected to see some evidence from Mr Tyrrell giving support to the Duke’s factual case, but there is none.”
NGN has hailed the ruling as a “significant victory”.
But although phone hacking claims were dismissed, the judge granted Harry the right to sue NGN over alleged illegal story-gathering with a trial set to take place in January.
NGN denies any illegal activity at the paper.
The judge said both sides had won victories so far and each should bear their costs up to now.
But Harry was also ordered to pay towards the future costs of NGN’s lawyers, who face extra work due to the Duke’s amended case.
Mr Hudson KC, for NGN, told the court the bid to alter Harry’s claim was a “radical intended revision” of his case.
He also accused Harry of “trying to ride two horses galloping in completely different directions”.
In a statement after Thursday’s ruling, News Group Newspapers said: “The High Court has today, in a significant victory for News Group Newspapers, dismissed The Duke of Sussex’s phone hacking claims against both the News of the World and The Sun.
“In arguing his case, the Duke of Sussex had alleged a ‘secret agreement’ existed between him/Buckingham Palace and NGN which stopped NGN from asserting that the Duke’s claim had been brought too late.
“It is quite clear there was never any such agreement and it is only the Duke who has ever asserted there was.”
After the judgement was handed down, a source commented: “This judgement will only add to Harry’s woes.
“Everything in the garden is not rosy and now the Prince has had his High Court evidence publicly pulled apart in a humiliating fashion.”
This article originally appeared on the US Sun and was reproduced with permission
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