Prince Harry suffered 'huge bouts of depression and paranoia' as his inner circle shrank
Prince Harry suffered "huge bouts of depression and paranoia" a court was told.
PA
Prince Harry suffered "huge bouts of depression and paranoia" as a result of press intrusion, a court was told yesterday.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Newspaper Group (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists.
On Wednesday, the court heard of the detrimental effects Prince Harry says MGN's alleged conduct had on his life.
The High Court was told that the Duke of Sussex's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy decided "a royal life was not for her" as a result of the alleged activities of MGN journalists.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Newspaper Group (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists.
PA
David Sherborne, representing the Duke of Sussex said in his damages claim against the newspaper group, that Harry had suffered "huge distress".
Referencing Prince Harry’s witness statement in the case, Sherborne said: "He became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age.
"It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and made him fear for his and her safety.
"Every time he was in a relationship, or even a rumoured relationship, that whole person’s family, and often their friends, would be 'dragged into the chaos' and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN.
"There was nowhere that was 'off limits' for MGN’s newspapers, whose journalists would even manage to book into a hotel in Bazaruto, a small island off the coast of Mozambique, when the Duke of Sussex and Ms Davy tried to escape there and enjoy some peace and quiet.
"They were never on their own, which ‘placed a huge amount of unnecessary stress and strain’ on their relationship.
"Ultimately, MGN’s activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that ‘a royal life was not for her’, which was ‘incredibly upsetting’ for the Duke of Sussex at the time.
The High Court was told that the Duke of Sussex's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy decided "a royal life was not for her" as a result of the alleged activities of MGN journalists.
PA
"They also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily, and led to ‘huge bouts of depression and paranoia’."
MGN has admitted unlawfully gathering information about the Duke but has denied phone hacking.
In court documents released at the start of a trial in London, MGN said it "unreservedly apologises" for instances of unlawful information gathering.
The publisher added that it "will never be repeated".