Prince complains about ‘awful’ time in Australia

The Duke takes the witness stand in the case against Mirror Group Newspapers and alleges he may have been watched by private investigators during his gap year here in 2003.

Prince Harry, centre with surfboard, at Noosa Beach during his Australian gap year in 2003.

Prince Harry has complained to the High Court in London about two articles relating to his “awful” and “suffocating” time in Australia in 2003 where he alleges private investigators may have been paid to watch his movements and use unlawful techniques to gather information.

One of the articles he complains about in his legal action against the Mirror Newspaper Group was a visit with friends to a public beach at Noosa one afternoon when he was 19.

“It was a public beach, but not busy or popular so I’m unclear how anyone had known we were there, to be in the right place at the right time to take photographs. I wasn’t aware of anyone taking photographs at the time,’’ Harry said in his witness statement.

The other article about Australia was two months earlier in September 27, 2003 written by the then Mirror royal reporter Jane Kerr, “Harry is ready to quit Oz.”.

Harry said this article was “so awful” because he showed there was “nowhere in the world, not even the Australian outback, where I wouldn’t be hounded by the press or paparazzi’’.

The Prince says he felt like he was being followed by paid private investigators during the trip.

Harry wrote: “(It) reports that I was considering leaving Australia, where I was on a gap year, because of the level of press intrusion I was experiencing. The article includes a comment from a Palace spokesperson expressing concern and disappointment about the treatment I was experiencing. I do recall that the Palace issued a statement because the situation in Australia was awful for me and there was supposed to be an agreement that once I had done the press call on arrival, I would be left to get on with my gap year in private. I was a teenager, and this made it clear that there was nowhere in the world, not even the Australian outback, where I wouldn’t be hounded by the press or paparazzi.”

He added: “The most interesting part of this article for me is the line that I was staying inside ‘watching videos’ instead of working outside to avoid the camera crews. I’m not sure how they knew what I was doing inside, the whole purpose of me avoiding the cameras was to avoid everyone knowing what I was doing at all times. It was suffocating. I was only in Australia with a couple of UK bodyguards, so this is the kind of thing I would have moaned about over the phone and in voicemails.”

Harry said there were two contribution payment requests to a private investigator Frank Thorne which he says seem likely to relate to this article.

“The first dated 24 September for £100 with the description ‘So that’s where you got your hair style from Harry’ and the second dated 26 September for £450 with the description ‘Prince Harry watch Hunter Valley (Ellis)’. These suggest to me that Mirror Newspaper Group were using unlawful techniques to gather information about me, with the second payment seeming to me like the Defendant was paying to have me watched. “

Harry said that Jane Kerr had submitted a witness statement whereby in most cases she can neither recall the story nor its source. But he issued a withering take-down of 32 other journalists who have decided not to submit a statement.

Prince Harry arrives to give evidence at the Mirror Group Phone hacking trial in London. Picture: WireImage

“Their cowardice speaks volumes, and I don’t understand how they are allowed to hide,’’ Harry wrote.

“One of the reasons why I’m bringing this claim is to hold people to account for what they have done, so that they can’t hide behind their own institution or organisation. As I am subjecting myself to the Court process, I fully expect the journalists in question to also come along and explain how they wrote these stories because, on the one hand, Mirror Group Newspapers admit that phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering went on but, on the other, they deny liability for every claim that’s been brought against them including my own. They admit people were doing it but deny the victims’ claims. Their position makes no sense and I am determined to get to the bottom of it once and for all.”

Under cross examination on Tuesday Harry accepted that a St James Palace spokesperson had issued a statement about his Australian activities and the information had also appeared in other national daily newspapers, but when asked if he accepted the information was not obtained by the Daily Mirror through phone hacking or other unlawful means, Harry replied “You’d have to ask the journalists”.

As to one Australian article Harry doesn’t accept the information came from his minders and his palace aide Mark Dyer.

He also described the beach at Noosa as being “remote” and that he was with friends far away from other people, insisting that finding him was like “finding a needle in a haystack”.

Harry will face a further morning of questioning by the Mirror Group on Wednesday.