The Duke of Sussex, in his first major interview since his court case against Mirror Group Newspapers, says his battle with the press has been “central” to damaging his relationship with his family.
Prince Harry has said “it’s still dangerous” for his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to return to the UK.
In his first major interview since his MGN court case, the Duke of Sussex said he feared for his wife’s safety due to the attention they attract.
When asked during the ITV documentary Tabloids On Trial whether the legal battles attract more attention, Harry said: “There is more than enough attention on me and my wife (Meghan) anyway.”
“They pushed me too far,” he added.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read and whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me.
“It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Harry also blamed his fight against the press as “central” in destroying his relationship with his family.
When asked about his family’s “decision not to fight” the press in the way that Harry has, he said: “I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is.
“For me, the mission continues, but it has, yes, it’s caused, as you say, part of a rift.”
The duke was also asked about claiming in a High Court filing that Queen Elizabeth II “supported” his actions against News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publisher of The Sun and the now defunct News Of The World.
Harry said: “I wish… we had many conversations before she passed, and this is very much something that she supported.
“She knew how much this meant to me and… she’s very much out there, going to see this through to the end, without question.”
In a witness statement, he had claimed the late monarch had wanted the media mogul Rupert Murdoch to “apologise”.
Harry is bringing a case against NGN over alleged unlawful information-gathering, but not allegations of phone hacking, with a full trial due to be held in January.
NGN has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.
The duke sued MGN in a different case, alleging journalists at its publications were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” – gaining information by deception – and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
A trial found 15 articles were the result of unlawful information gathering, and MGN and the duke settled the remainder of his claim in February with “a substantial additional sum by way of damages” and Harry’s legal costs.
This followed a ruling in December which claimed phone hacking became “widespread and habitual” at MGN titles in the late 1990s and that Harry’s phone was hacked “to a modest extent” by the group – awarding him £140,600 in damages.
MGN said in response to the programme: “We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.
“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation.”
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