Prince Harry says he lost friends amid 'suspicion and paranoia' over 'unlawful articles' as legal battle continues

Prince Harry lost friends, say lawyers, speaking on his behalf during High Court hacking case against newspaper publisher

 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice on March 28, 2023 in London, England. Prince Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail.
(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Prince Harry lost friends and, "everyone became a ‘suspect,'" claims his lawyer, speaking at the High Court on the Duke's behalf in his legal claim against the publisher who owns the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline. The publisher in question, Associated Newspapers Limited, says the claims against them are, “unsubstantiated and highly defamatory, based on no credible evidence”, and wants them dismissed without a trial.


: Sir Elton John departs the Royal Courts of Justice in his role as claimant after attending a lawsuit against the Associated Newspapers on March 27, 2023 in London, England. Prince Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail.

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)

Prince Harry's lawyer David Sherborne filed a document on his client's behalf, claiming that the Prince is, “troubled that, through Associated’s unlawful acts, he was largely deprived of important aspects of his teenage years."

Per the Independent, Sherborne continued that the way the allegedly unlawful articles were written misled him to believe that everyone close to him was a 'suspect.' The, 'suspicion and paranoia,' experienced by the Prince led to him, 'cutting off or losing friends.'

Sherborne added that Prince Harry regards ANL's, "unlawful acts to amount to a major betrayal given promises made by the media to improve its conduct following the tragic and untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.”

Sadie Frost departs the Royal Courts of Justice in her role as claimant after attending a lawsuit against the Associated Newspapers on March 27, 2023 in London, England. Prince Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail.

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)

The Prince is one of seven high-profile individuals, all being represented by Sherborne, who are suing ANL - the publisher of the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline. The other claimants are Sir Elton John, Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Elizabeth Hurley, and former Lib Dem MP Sir Simon Hughes. 

Claimants allege that ANL hired private investigators to put listening devices in homes and cars, recorded private phone calls, and accessed financial information, bank records, and medical records, “through illicit means and manipulation."

The hearing, which is before Mr. Justice Nicklin, is due to reach its conclusion on Thursday, March 30, 2023 - just over a month before the King's Coronation. 

His Majesty, King Charles III spends time visiting and speaking to members of the Sudanese community to bear witness to their testimonies of the Darfur conflict and to hear about their lives, in Sudan and now in the UK on March 15, 2023 in London, England. The King was shown photographs, drawings and objects brought from Sudan. 2023 marks a year of activity by the Sudanese community to mark the start of the conflict, and atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. His Majesty will met Sudanese women who decorate pieces of fabric to create a giant toub (traditional Sudanese dress); an empowerment and peacebuilding project which aims to bring the UK Sudanese community together as a visual representation of unity and solidarity. The King was accompanied by Amouna (not pictured), a survivor of the conflict in Darfur.

(Image credit: Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Coronation invite has been confirmed - but their attendance has not. As the days pass and it gets nearer and nearer to King Charles's Coronation, it remains to be seen whether the Sussexes will cross the pond for the huge event.

The question as to where will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stay if they attend the King's coronation remains to be seen. Following the confirmation of Harry and Meghan's Frogmore Cottage departure, they no longer have an official UK home - which also further complicates their security concerns.

Prince Harry has been outspoken regarding security concerns for his family while they're in the UK and the added unsettling aspect of losing their British base may compound these concerns.

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.