Prince Harry has been accused of not telling the truth about unfounded allegations Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell sold her possessions.
The Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles were linked to unlawful methods, including phone hacking.
In his evidence on Tuesday, Harry agreed he would have used the phrase “two-face s**t” to describe Mr Burrell about words appearing in a 2003 article in The People newspaper.
Harry claims his remarks about Mr Burrell were obtained illegally by MGN from a voicemail he left for his brother, now the Prince of Wales, while he was in Australia in 2003. MGN denies the allegations.
In his witness statement, Harry said: “Both my brother and I had powerful feelings about how indiscreet Paul had proven to be with how he had sold our mother’s possessions and given numerous interviews about her.
“We firmly believed that she would have expected some privacy in death, especially from someone she had trusted, and we were so upset at how he was behaving – I didn’t want to hear his reasons for it.”
Paul Burrell’s Claims of Deception
Burrell said Harry should “stop” his claims, telling GB News after the Duke had finished giving evidence that Harry had defamed him by saying that he sold his mother’s possessions and called on him to apologise.
He said: “His legal statement, which he drew up in the last few months, is evidence sworn under oath; he has categorically stated in that statement that I have been selling Diana’s possessions.
Appearing in court in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), he said he has “experienced hostility from the press” since birth.
He is the first senior royal to give evidence in court in over 130 years.
MGN’s lawyer said he sympathised with the Duke but denied that journalists’ actions were “all unlawful”.
Prince Harry arrived on Tuesday morning at London’s High Court dressed in a dark suit and looking relaxed – dozens of journalists only had seconds to get their photographs as he swiftly entered the building.
He became increasingly direct in his challenges as the hearing wore on. The prince grew in confidence after a nervous start.
Paul Burrell Accuses Prince Harry of Not Telling the Whole Truth
Mr Green – who has decades of experience and has been described as a “beast in court” – built up his line of questioning, asking in detail about the sourcing of stories and suggesting they were based on official statements or publicly available information.
Prince Harry’s responses were often short, stressing his suspicion that each story was connected with a payment to a private investigator.
The Duke also said stories he believed originated from hacking caused security concerns and damaged his relationships.
“I felt that I couldn’t trust anybody, which was an awful feeling for me, especially at such a young age,” he said.
He said numerous papers had reported a rumour that his biological father was former Army officer James Hewitt – a man his mother, Princess Diana, had a relationship with after he was born.
At the time, he said, he was oblivious to the timeline. Aged 18 and having lost his mother six years earlier, he said such stories were “hurtful, mean and cruel”.
The Duke of Sussex has been forced to admit his Spare memoir has contradicted claims made in the High Court during his case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
The Duke told the High Court he couldn’t remember whether he wanted to meet his mother’s former butler Paul Burrell, despite his opposition causing a rift with his brother, the Prince of Wales.
On Monday, Harry’s barrister, David Sherborne, said the article showed how “seeds of discord” had been created between the brothers, as he claimed unlawful information gathering by tabloid newspapers played a part in the deterioration of their relationship.
Prince Harry’s Alleged Dishonesty in Court
The 2003 article in the People newspapers claimed the brothers disagreed over whether to meet Mr Burrell, with William wanting to in an attempt to prevent him from selling other stories, while Harry was against it because he was a “two-faced s— “.
But when the Duke was questioned on Tuesday about the report, it was pointed out to him that his apparent opposition was not included in his memoir. “There is no suggestion in Spare that you were firmly against a meeting,” said Mr Green.
Harry responded: “No because I wrote it when I was 38, and in this story, I was 18. I assume I would have wanted a meeting… I’d love to offer him a piece of my mind,” Harry told the High Court on Tuesday.
“I can’t remember whether I wanted a meeting,” Harry says when Mr Green presses him for a final time.
