PRINCE Harry has choked back tears as he broke down after hours of questioning in the dock.
The Duke of Sussex admitted “it’s a lot” after he spent seven hours being quizzed by Mirror Group Newspaper’s lawyer over details in a string of articles, including a visit to a strip club, in the last two days of the phone hacking trial.
The Duke of Sussex was quizzed on a trip to a strip club in 2006
Prince Harry arrives for the second day of the phone hacking trial
Lawyer for the defence Andrew Green KC arrives at The High Court
The Duke of Sussex waved as he arrived at court, displaying a selection of bracelets
The duke carried a number of documents as he arrived at the High Court
Prince Harry’s voice cracked with emotion as he finished a gruelling session of questioning at the High Court today.
Harry appeared to choke back tears after he was asked by his barrister, David Sherborne, how he had found the experience of giving evidence in the witness box.
The Royal paused as he grew emotional before replying simply: “It’s a lot.”
The duke was again accused of being in the “realm of total speculation” today after he admitted to the Mirror’s lawyer Andrew Green KC he “isn’t sure” his phone was hacked.
Prince Harry was also quizzed on a trip to the strip club Spearmint Rhino, which featured in a 2006 article called Prince of Lapland.
It told how Harry was ticked off by his ex girlfriend Chelsy Davy for enjoying a dance with a “statuesque blonde” who sat in his lap.
Mr Green asked Prince Harry whether there was “any evidence or was it pure speculation” that this story came from phone hacking.
NIGHT OUT
Prince Harry, 38, was questioned over his accusations the Mirror group listened to voicemails to gain insight into arguments with Chelsy.
In his witness statement, the Duke of Sussex said another story told how he was facing a “make or break” holiday with Ms Davey in Mozambique following his night out.
Harry said he was “deeply concerned” that his trip would be publicised in advance by newspapers.
Mr Green took Harry to a further article that appeared in The People in September 2007 which detailed three rows he and Ms Davey had before she moved to Leeds, West Yorks.
Harry said: “The whole article itself was suspicious.
“I never discussed with the Palace any details about my relationship with my girlfriend.
“Attributing such information to a Palace source is incredibly suspicious.”
Mr Green said: “We are in the land of total speculation that this is voicemail interception.”
Harry replied: “Not at all. I entirely disagree.”
A combative duke fought back at Mr Green’s line of questioning, regularly quipping “I’ll take your word for it”.
And the KC had to again warn Prince Harry he was the one asking questions, after first warning him yesterday.
When Prince Harry asked “are you suggesting while I was in the army everything was available to write about”, the lawyer replied: “Can I just repeat what I said yesterday.
“This isn’t about you asking me questions this is me asking you questions.”
Mr Green pointed to a 2007 story ‘ER, ok if I drop you off here?’ where Prince Harry was photographed dropping his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy outside the gates of Kensington Palace.
When Mr Green asks if he’s speculating whether a photographer knew where to stand because of voicemails accessed through phone hacking, Prince Harry even admits “maybe I am”.
He again said: “This to me was incredibly suspicious. I was dropping her off as close to Kensington High Street without being spotted by members of the public.
“To know a photographer was there just waiting was highly suspicious.”
This morning the dad-of-two stepped out of a black Range Rover flanked by security as he arrived at court in a navy suit and silver tie.
As he waved to waiting crowds he showed off a number of beaded bracelets.
Taking to the stand he interrupted Mr Green to wish him a good morning.
As Mr Green begins “Prince Harry, we are now on the 22nd article…”
Harry interjects: “Good morning, Mr Green.”
Yesterday, the fifth-in-line to the throne spent five hours in the stand – the first senior royal to be questioned in a courtroom in 130 years.
He made a series of shock claims about his private life, including that he feared he’d be “ousted from the Royal Family”, felt his relationship with Chelsy was “doomed” and struggled in school after he was labelled “thick”.
In a 55-page legal document he names ex-flame Chelsy 104 times while wife Meghan is referred to by name only twice.
And he repeatedly called Chelsy “my girlfriend” during his evidence.
Yesterday, Harry was admonished over his allegations that a journalist must have hacked a phone for a story about him injuring his thumb at Eton College.
Pressed on which phone would have been hacked, the prince said he “can’t be sure”.
Mr Green responded: “That’s not an answer.” Harry said: “The doctor’s? I’m not sure.”
Mr Green then hit back: “Are we not, Prince Harry, in the realms of total speculation?”
The duke replied: “I’m not the one who wrote the article. You’d have to ask the journalist.”
‘HURTFUL, MEAN AND CRUEL’
He hadn’t realised until he was 30 years old that Major Hewitt only met Princess Diana after Prince Harry was born.
He added: “At the time, I wasn’t actually aware that my mother hadn’t met Major Hewitt until after I was born. This timeline is something I only learnt of in around 2014.”
He added the rumours were “very damaging and very real to me”.
“They were hurtful, mean and cruel,” he said.
Elsewhere during the trial, a softly spoken Prince Harry revealed he struggled at school.
He said he was labelled “the ‘thicko’, the ‘cheat’, the ‘underage drinker’, the ‘‘irresponsible drug taker'” during his teenage years.
He added: “I thought that… I may as well ‘do the crime’, so to speak.”
He went on to explain he was afraid he would be expelled from Eton over claims he was taking drugs.
He added: “Eton had a zero drugs policy in place, and I was extremely worried I was going to be expelled.”
He then launched an attack on the government, claiming it was at “rock bottom”.
Prince Harry’s trial has heard so far:
- The Duke of Sussex claimed he ‘played into’ the role of ‘thicko’
- Harry claimed his phone may have been hacked in 1996 – but didn’t have a mobile phone at the time, the High Court heard
- He said he felt like his relationship with Chelsy – who he dated between 2004 and 2011 – was ‘doomed’
- Harry revealed he had been ‘immature’ and made a ‘stupid decision’ after flirting with a brunette at a party in 2005 while dating Chelsy
- King Charles’ son felt rumours that his biological father was James Hewitt were ‘very real’ and left him feeling he ‘might be ousted from the Royal Family’
- The duke admitted to calling his mother’s former butler Paul Burrell a ‘two-faced s***’ in 2003
- Harry said the stories had an effect on his mother, Princess Diana, and “her reaction to me as her son”
The Duke of Sussex has also claimed phone hacking was used to find out how he had celebrated his 18th birthday – but the court heard it was in fact information he had already revealed himself in a public interview.
An article called No Eton Trifles for Harry used quotes taken from an interview Prince Harry gave to the Press Association (PA).
It revealed he was given a gift of golf clubs from his uncle Earl Spencer and would have a “quiet day at home with my father, my brother, and my family”.
Mr Green told the court these details were actually said by Prince Harry himself in the PA interview.
Mr Green told the court: “The private information about which you complain in the Daily Mirror article had been revealed by you in an interview and published in many Sunday newspapers.”
When questioned, Harry added: “The timing is suspicious.”
During the cross-examination, Prince Harry repeatedly told Mr Green “I don’t know”.
‘STUPID DECISION’
When probed on an article about becoming a godfather for his former nanny Tiggy’s brother’s son, Harry said: “It’s not particularly enjoyable to have to go through this process all over again.”
Another article ‘Harry to lead cadet’s march’ was revealed the day before by the Press Association after the information was put into the public domain by St James’s Palace, Mr Green told the court.
Prince Harry admitted he had not been aware of the PA story and still maintained the article was “suspicious” due to the “illegal activity that was happening behind that”.
Elsewhere, Prince Harry said he felt like his relationship with then-girlfriend Chelsy was “doomed” during the 2007 coverage of their relationship.
Harry revealed he was “immature” and made a “stupid decision” after it was reported he flirted with a brunette at a party in 2005.
He also said he promised Chelsy in 2006 he was not given a lap dance at the Spearmint Rhino club, the court heard.
And he admitted calling his mother’s former butler, Paul Burrell, a “two faced s***” in 2003.
He said: “I also would have used the phrase ‘two-face s***’, as is reported.”
In court he added: “That is the terminology I would use. I don’t specifically remember leaving a voicemail saying that because of the time that’s passed.”
The prince had “very strong feelings” about how indiscreet Mr Burrell was after Princess Diana’s death, according to his witness statement.
Prince Harry gave evidence yesterday after flying in from LA for the trial as part of the action against the Mirror Group papers.
He only left the US on Sunday night after marking his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.
His missing the first day sparked Justice Fancourt to say he was surprised Harry was not in court on stand-by for the witness box.
Yesterday Harry became the first royal questioned in a UK courtroom for 130 years.
The last senior royal to be cross-examined in court was the future King Edward VII in 1891, in what became known as the royal baccarat scandal.
An “extremely nervous” Prince Edward was forced to give evidence in a slander case after arguing with his friend in 1890.
Queen Victoria’s son, who went on to be king, was brought in as a witness in a cheating scandal over a pack of cards.
And Prince Harry is the first senior royal to be involved in court proceedings since 2002, when the Princess Royal pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her pet bit two children in Windsor Great Park.
Harry alleges that about 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information gathered using unlawful methods, and 33 of these have been selected to be considered at the trial.
The publisher has apologised unreservedly to Prince Harry for unlawfully gathering information about him but denies phone hacking.
Major James Hewitt, a friend of Diana’s, in 1996. Prince Harry says he feared he’d be ‘ousted’ by the Royal Family as a result of rumours
