Prince Harry Rejects Claims Stories Came From His Camp: 'My Social Circle Is Not Leaky'
The Duke has denied all claims that his close friends had fed tabloids private details.
Prince Harry walked into the witness box determined to challenge one claim above all others, that the most intimate details of his life came from people close to him. By the time he stepped down hours later, that had given way to visible emotion. Defense lawyer for Associated Newspapers Limited, Antony White, questioned whether journalists may have obtained information through legitimate relationships, either at official engagements or via friends of the Prince. Harry flatly rejected the suggestion.
Testifying at London’s High Court on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex denied the defense lawyer's stance that journalists sourced stories through friends, acquaintances, or members of his inner circle. Instead, he said it was a relentless intrusion that he says left him distrustful, anxious, and deeply protective of those around him. “My social circles were not leaky,” he said, pushing back against the idea that those close to him were feeding stories to the tabloids. As the questioning continued, Harry grew increasingly defensive, offering curt replies while attempting to explain what he described as life under '24-hour surveillance.'
Harry maintained that articles attributed to 'unidentified sources' were, in his view, a cover for unlawful methods. He suggested journalists had eavesdropped on phone calls or relied on private investigators to obtain information. He also explained why he had not formally complained at the time.
“If you complain, they double down on you in my experience,” he said. “They continue to come after me; they have made my wife's life an absolute misery,” Harry told the court, choking back tears as he described the toll of years spent under media scrutiny. ANL has, meanwhile, denied all allegations, calling them 'preposterous,' and insisting the roughly 50 articles under scrutiny were produced through legitimate journalism. The publisher argues the information came from royal correspondents doing their jobs at public events, or from people within the claimants’ own circles who were willing to talk. ANL is expected to name sources during the nine-week trial.
Harry, in response, strongly disputed that version of events. In a 23-page witness statement, he said repeated intrusions during his youth left him 'paranoid beyond belief,' adding that he became increasingly suspicious of how private details of his life found their way into print.
Under English court procedure, his written statement was submitted as evidence before he was immediately cross-examined. The Duke described his relationship with the press as 'uneasy' for much of his life, shaped by the royal family’s long-standing policy of 'never complain, never explain.' He also told the court that persistent press attacks on his wife, Meghan Markle, played a decisive role in their decision to step back from royal duties and move to the United States in 2020. He asserted that the 'vicious, persistent attacks,' the harassment, and at times the racist coverage of his biracial wife, were a breaking point.
After cross-examination, Harry’s own lawyer asked how he felt about ANL’s defence. Despite having pushed for accountability through the courts, Harry said it was “fundamentally wrong to put all of us through this again” when all he wanted was an apology.
