Prince Harry’s back in court. On June 6, he took NAIJAONPOINT stand — a first in a long time for British royals — in a legal battle against Mirror Group Newspapers, or MGN. Needless to say, the Duke of Sussex’s testimony, both written and spoken, resulted in some memorable quotes. Ahead are just a few of the highlights from Harry’s testimony.
1. Prince Harry witness quotes: British tabloid’s articles played a ‘destructive role’ in his youth
Reiterating what he’s said in Spare and interviews, Harry took NAIJAONPOINT stand and explained how tabloid stories have impacted his life.
“Every single article has caused me distress,” Harry told the court (via CNN). “All of these articles played an important role – a destructive role – in my growing up.”
He went on to say the tabloids were “in every single palace, unfortunately,” and the coverage proved “incredibly invasive.” Even at school, he couldn’t escape them because, Harry claimed, his classmates read them.
Harry claimed, in his lawsuit, roughly 140 MGN articles featured information obtained via illegal means, of which 33 are being discussed during the trial. He, along with other celebrities, are suing MGN, having accused the publisher of phone hacking and more covering the years 1991-2011.
2. Harry claimed tabloids preferred him to ‘be single’ and ‘much more interesting’
In a written witness statement, Harry shared he’d long held the opinion that his single relationship status made better business for tabloids.
“I always felt as if the tabloids wanted me to be single, as I was much more interesting to them and sold more newspapers,” he wrote. “Whilst they would, of course, report on my successes in life, it seemed to me that they took far greater pleasure in knocking me down, time and time again.”
Harry claimed newspapers would then facilitate “knocking” him “down” by putting “strain” on his relationships. Referencing his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, Harry alleged journalists would somehow track down the now-37-year-old’s travel details and even stay in the same hotel as the couple.
Harry also noted it’s ongoing with his wife, Meghan Markle: “This twisted objective is still pursued to this day even though I’m now married.”
3. Prince Harry witness quotes: playing into the tabloid version of him led to a ‘downward spiral’
Another quote from Harry’s witness statement included how he himself decided to, in a way, live up to the media’s version of him.
“You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have,” he explained. “They then start to edge you towards [sic] playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible.”
“As a teenager and in my early twenties, I ended up feeling as though I was playing up to a lot of the headlines and stereotypes that they wanted to pin on me mainly because I thought that, if they are printing this rubbish about me and people were believing it, I may as well ‘do the crime,’ so to speak,” he continued.
Calling it a “downward spiral,” Harry said “tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a ‘damaged’ young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story and sell lots of newspapers.”
Other moments from Harry’s time as a witness in court on June 6
Harry’s reportedly hours-long testimony in court being questioned by MGN’s lawyer, Andrew Green, also included reportedly tense moments, a joke, and a request from the judge.
At one point, Harry told Green, “I’m not the one who wrote the article,” when the lawyer accused him of “total speculation.”
Elsewhere during his testimony, Harry joked about getting a “workout” due to his having to lift nearby folders of evidence.
The judge also asked Harry to speak up because some watching the proceeding in the courtroom had difficulty hearing him during his testimony.
Harry’s trial started on May 10, four days after Harry attended the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Meanwhile, he has other ongoing lawsuits involving British tabloids and U.K. security.