Prince Harry affirms his right to privacy during emotional testimony

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Prince Harry said his status as a member of Britain's royal family does not negate his right to privacy while delivering an emotion-laden testimony against a tabloid Wednesday.

He testified in London's High Court during a privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd., which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday tabloids.

"They have made my wife's life an absolute misery," Harry told the court regarding the duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Harry is the duke of Sussex.

"The defense's claim that I don't have any right to privacy is disgusting," Harry testified, while at times becoming emotional.

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He said his life became tabloid fodder since he was a teen and especially after the death of his mother, the former Princess Diana, in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997.

Harry called it "beyond cruel" when an Italian media published a photo of his dying mother and said it was "really disgusting" when the Daily Mail in 2006 included information from a private discussion he was having with his brother, Prince William, according to The Guardian.

He said such problems intensified after filing the lawsuit against the tabloids, which he said, "continue to come after me," and he declined to challenge denials of intercepting his phone conversations due to his "fear of retaliation."

The duke of Sussex acknowledged knowing several journalists and said that members of the royal family are forced to work with them.

"We had to have some kind of relationship with them," he testified.

Following Harry's testimony, the court adjourned until the trial resumes on Thursday morning.

Harry is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed 3.5 years ago by seven well-known individuals, including recording artists Elton John and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost.

They accuse the tabloids of illegally obtaining personal information and publishing it by intercepting their phone communications and using deception to obtain their respective financial and medical record from 1993 to 2011.

Representatives for the tabloids deny the accusations of using illegal means to obtain information and said they spoke with the plaintiffs' close acquaintances and others to legally obtain the information that they have published.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle attend World Mental Health Day gala

Prince Harry (R) and Meghan Markle arrive on the red carpet at the third annual World Mental Health Day gala in New York City on October 9, 2025. Harry and Markle, co-Founders of the Archewell Foundation, were honored with the Humanitarians of the Year award. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo