Prince Harry received a ruling in his favor in a landmark case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) of unlawfully gathering information, a watershed victory that could potentially pave the way for other lawsuits against the press.
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00:00 The court has found that Mirror Group's principal board directors, their legal department, senior executives
00:08 and editors such as Piers Morgan clearly knew about or were involved in these illegal activities.
00:17 Between them, they even went as far as lying under oath to Parliament during the Leveson inquiry,
00:25 to the Stock Exchange and to us all ever since.
00:31 The journey to justice can be a slow and painful one and since bringing my claim almost five years ago,
00:39 defamatory stories and intimidating tactics have been deployed against me and at my family's expense.
00:47 And so, as I too have learnt through this process, patience is in fact a virtue,
00:54 especially in the face of vendetta journalism.
00:59 I hope that the court's findings will serve as a warning to all media organisations
01:04 who have employed these practices and then similarly lied about them.
01:09 As will now be clear, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is unable to be present today
01:15 due to the short notice which was given of the hearing.
01:19 However, he's prepared a statement on this momentous win which I will now share on his behalf.
01:27 Today is a great day for truth as well as accountability.
01:32 The court has ruled that unlawful and criminal activities were carried out at all three Mirror Group newspaper titles,
01:41 The Mirror, The Sunday Mirror and The People, on a habitual and widespread basis for over more than a decade.
01:51 I'd like to thank my legal team for so successfully dismantling the sworn testimony of Mirror Group's senior executives,
01:59 legal department and journalists who at least turned up to court,
02:04 unlike their colleagues who were perhaps too afraid to do so.
02:10 This case is not just about hacking.
02:13 It is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behaviour,
02:19 followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence,
02:23 the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings.
02:28 Mirror Group's actions were so calculated and misleading
02:32 that their pattern of destroying evidence and concealing their unlawful behaviour
02:37 continued into the litigation itself and, as the judge has ruled, even to this day.
02:45 I am happy to have won the case, especially given that this trial only looked at a quarter of my entire claim.
02:54 Even on just that, it is clear Mirror Group's persistent attempts to suggest that my claim was,
03:02 to quote their counsel, "fantastical" in the realms of total speculation
03:08 and there was simply no evidence at all to suggest I was hacked.
03:15 Zilch. Zero. Mil. Nada. Niente. Absolutely nothing.
03:22 All of that was total nonsense and was used maliciously to attack my character and credibility.
03:31 However, as Mirror Group intended, those hollow soundbites were blasted across front pages
03:38 and across online platforms and into the next day's morning television shows.
03:44 The court has in fact confirmed that all four claimants were subjected to voicemail interception
03:50 and unlawful information gathering, but no one would have believed that was the case,
03:56 given how this trial was covered in the UK.
03:59 My commitment to seeing this case through is based on my belief in our need and collective right
04:06 to a free and honest press, and one which is properly accountable when necessary.
04:13 That is what we need in Britain and across the globe.
04:17 Anything else is poisoning the well for a profession we all depend on.
04:22 The acts listed in this judgement are prime examples of what happens when the power of the press is abused.
04:31 I respectfully call upon the authorities, the financial regulator,
04:35 the stock market who were deliberately deceived by Mirror Group,
04:39 and indeed the Metropolitan Police and prosecuting authorities,
04:43 to do their duty for the British public and to investigate bringing charges against the company
04:50 and those who have broken the law.
04:53 Today's ruling is vindicating and affirming.
04:58 I've been told that slaying dragons will get you burned,
05:01 but in light of today's victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press,
05:09 it is a worthwhile price to pay.
05:12 The mission continues.
05:14 Thank you very much.
05:16 Thank you.
05:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]