Prince Harry has revealed in his High Court witness statement that he felt driven to take action on behalf of Meghan Markle following relentless media hostility directed at her.
The Duke of Sussex told the court he grew increasingly disturbed by the failure to challenge press behaviour after his relationship with his now wife became public knowledge in late 2016.
He described the coverage as "vicious persistent attacks on, harassment of and intrusive, sometimes racist articles concerning Meghan."
The statement forms part of Harry's ongoing legal battle against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail.
Prince Harry has revealed in his High Court witness statement that he felt driven to take action on behalf of Meghan Markle following relentless media hostility directed at her.
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The Duke explained that the Royal Family's longstanding approach of "never complain, never explain" had effectively barred him from responding to press coverage while he remained within the institution.
Harry stated he would not have been able to challenge the articles at the heart of his current claim "because of the institution I was in."
He added that this policy left him without options, telling the court: "There was no alternative; I was conditioned to accept it."
The prince said he largely tolerated media interest in his official duties, but the treatment of Meghan marked a turning point in his willingness to remain silent.
The prince said he largely tolerated media interest in his official duties, but the treatment of Meghan marked a turning point in his willingness to remain silent.
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Harry traced his difficult relationship with the media back to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997, when he was just 12 years old.
The Duke of Sussex said: "In late 2016, when my relationship with Meghan, my now wife, became public, I started to become increasingly troubled by the approach of not taking action against the press in the wake of vicious persistent attacks on, harassment of and intrusive, sometimes racist articles concerning Meghan."
Harry said circumstances deteriorated further as his family grew, adding: "The situation got worse when she (Meghan) became pregnant and after our son, Archie, was born."
The royal also revealed that the Duchess of Sussex's October 2019 legal action against ANL over the publication of a private letter to her father represented a watershed moment for him personally.
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The royal also revealed that the Duchess of Sussex's October 2019 legal action against ANL over the publication of a private letter to her father represented a watershed moment for him personally.
Harry said: "This was the first time I had my own legal representation outside of the Institution. Until that point, this had never occurred to me to be a possibility."
He also filed claims against News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers that same year.
The prince said he had "no idea" he could pursue ANL when initiating those other cases, adding he would have acted sooner given the publisher's treatment of Meghan.
The case is expected to run until March, after which a written judgment will be delivered at a subsequent date.
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