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LONDON — Prince Harry was the victim of unlawful media practices by the publishers of the Mirror newspaper and was awarded 140,600 pounds ($179,482) in damages, the London High Court ruled Friday.
Judge Timothy Fancourt ruled that Harry’s personal phone was targeted between 2003 and 2009 and that 15 out of 33 sample articles were the result of phone hacking or unlawful information gathering.
Harry did not attend court in person, but commentators said he would be watching the ruling via video link.
Prince Harry testifies in court about tabloid intrusion ‘since I was born’
Earlier this year, Harry became the first high-ranking British royal in 130 years to testify in court as he gave evidence over his allegations that Mirror Group Newspapers used unlawful information gathering to dig up dirt on him. He sat through nearly five hours of questioning.
Harry alleged that journalists knew information about him that could have only been discovered through unlawful activity. His lawyers submitted 148 newspaper articles, dating from 1996 to 2010, but the trial only considered 33 of these.
In his witness statement, Harry wrote that the alleged illegal snooping had fostered an environment of distrust within his circle of friends and family. He wrote that he could now see “how much of my life was wasted on this paranoia.”