Prince Harry accused a tabloid publisher of "industrial scale" phone hacking as he wrapped up almost eight hours of court testimony on Wednesday, becoming the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand.

The younger son of King Charles III appeared emotional as he came to the end of his two days' cross-examination by a lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which publishes The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People. 
 
"It's a lot," the 38-year-old prince replied in a barely audible voice after his own lawyer David Sherborne asked him how having to relive upsetting episodes of his life in court had made him feel.

Harry and several other claimants allege the titles engaged in "illegal information gathering", including intercepting phone voicemails, to write dozens of stories about him.

"I believe phone hacking was at an industrial scale across at least three of its (MGN's) papers and that is beyond doubt," Harry said under renewed questioning by MGN lawyer Andrew Green.

If that was not accepted by the court, he added, "I would feel some injustice".

Pressed on why he was singling out MGN, Harry said he believes alleged hacking elsewhere was on a lesser scale and that it "started at Mirror group".

He also revealed that part of the motivation for the lawsuit was a desire to do something about the "hate that was coming towards me and my wife" in recent years.

<h2>- 'All made sense' -</h2>

The last time a royal gave evidence in court was in the 1890s when the future king Edward VII took the stand in a slander trial.

Harry -- fifth in line to the throne -- has rarely been far from the headlines since quitting royal life in 2020 and relocating to California with his American wife Meghan. 
 
The Duke of Sussex, as he is also known, has launched legal action against several tabloid media groups, alongside barrages of attacks aimed at his family and the monarchy.

In a rarity for a British royal, who normally steer clear of politics, he also hit out at the government during Tuesday's proceedings.

In a lengthy written witness statement, the prince said media intrusion had blighted his life while claiming the state of both the press and government were "at rock bottom".

In the witness box and after swearing an oath on the Bible, Harry argued he had been the victim of relentless and distressing media intrusion virtually his entire life.

Some media had blood on their hands, he argued, and said stories written about him had made him paranoid and untrusting in friendships and relationships.

When the practice of phone-hacking came to light, "it all made sense", he told the court.

Harry described a sense of being besieged by the media during a trip to Argentina when "very aggressive paparazzi" surrounded the ranch where he was staying and local police said the only way to get rid of them would be to pay them off.

He said it became clear that it would be difficult to leave without being "chased or swarmed by these individuals".

<h2>- 'Land of speculation' -</h2>

MGN has admitted to "some evidence" of unlawful information gathering, including for a story about Harry.

But it has denied voicemail interception and also argued that some claims were brought too late by Harry and the other claimants.

In court, the prince faced questions about various aspects of the 33 tabloid stories being considered, covering everything from ex-girlfriends and rumours that army officer James Hewitt was his father, to royal family relations.

Harry admitted that he had no recollection of reading the majority of the articles, which date back over the last 20 years.

He has long had a turbulent relationship with the press and holds the media responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a 1997 Paris car crash while being pursued by paparazzi.

Allegations that tabloid journalists hacked into celebrities' mobile phones first emerged two decades ago and prompted a public inquiry.

It found British newspapers had "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people", and led to the closure of Britain's top-selling newspaper, the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World in 2011.

But MGN lawyer Green suggested Harry was "in the land of total speculation" by accusing the publisher of using hacked voicemails for its stories.

"Not at all I disagree," the prince responded.

Prince Harry accused a tabloid publisher of "industrial scale" phone hacking as he wrapped up almost eight hours of court testimony on Wednesday, becoming the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand.

Prince Harry accused a tabloid publisher of "industrial scale" phone hacking as he wrapped up almost eight hours of court testimony on Wednesday, becoming the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand. The younger son of King Charles III appeared emotional as he came to the end of his two days' cross-examination by a lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which publishes The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People. "It's a lot," the 38-year-old prince replied in a barely audible voice after his own lawyer David Sherborne asked him how having to relive upsetting episodes of his life in court had made him feel. Harry and several other claimants allege the titles engaged in "illegal information gathering", including intercepting phone voicemails, to write dozens of stories about him. "I believe phone hacking was at an industrial scale across at least three of its (MGN's) papers and that is beyond doubt," Harry said under renewed questioning by MGN lawyer Andrew Green. If that was not accepted by the court, he added, "I would feel some injustice". Pressed on why he was singling out MGN, Harry said he believes alleged hacking elsewhere was on a lesser scale and that it "started at Mirror group". He also revealed that part of the motivation for the lawsuit was a desire to do something about the "hate that was coming towards me and my wife" in recent years. - 'All made sense' - The last time a royal gave evidence in court was in the 1890s when the future king Edward VII took the stand in a slander trial. Harry -- fifth in line to the throne -- has rarely been far from the headlines since quitting royal life in 2020 and relocating to California with his American wife Meghan. The Duke of Sussex, as he is also known, has launched legal action against several tabloid media groups, alongside barrages of attacks aimed at his family and the monarchy. In a rarity for a British royal, who normally steer clear of politics, he also hit out at the government during Tuesday's proceedings. In a lengthy written witness statement, the prince said media intrusion had blighted his life while claiming the state of both the press and government were "at rock bottom". In the witness box and after swearing an oath on the Bible, Harry argued he had been the victim of relentless and distressing media intrusion virtually his entire life. Some media had blood on their hands, he argued, and said stories written about him had made him paranoid and untrusting in friendships and relationships. When the practice of phone-hacking came to light, "it all made sense", he told the court. Harry described a sense of being besieged by the media during a trip to Argentina when "very aggressive paparazzi" surrounded the ranch where he was staying and local police said the only way to get rid of them would be to pay them off. He said it became clear that it would be difficult to leave without being "chased or swarmed by these individuals". - 'Land of speculation' - MGN has admitted to "some evidence" of unlawful information gathering, including for a story about Harry. But it has denied voicemail interception and also argued that some claims were brought too late by Harry and the other claimants. In court, the prince faced questions about various aspects of the 33 tabloid stories being considered, covering everything from ex-girlfriends and rumours that army officer James Hewitt was his father, to royal family relations. Harry admitted that he had no recollection of reading the majority of the articles, which date back over the last 20 years. He has long had a turbulent relationship with the press and holds the media responsible for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a 1997 Paris car crash while being pursued by paparazzi. Allegations that tabloid journalists hacked into celebrities' mobile phones first emerged two decades ago and prompted a public inquiry. It found British newspapers had "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people", and led to the closure of Britain's top-selling newspaper, the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World in 2011. But MGN lawyer Green suggested Harry was "in the land of total speculation" by accusing the publisher of using hacked voicemails for its stories. "Not at all I disagree," the prince responded.

Emotional Harry finishes evidence in historic tabloids court battle

Britain's Prince Harry took to the witness stand on Tuesday to testify as a witness in a lawsuit that he has filed against the British tabloid Daily Mirror accusing them of phone hacking and other unlawful activities.&nbsp;Harry is King Charles and the late Princess Diana's younger son and has always been vocal about the toxic tabloid culture in Britain and how it has impacted him since childhood.&nbsp; 
 
Harry is the first senior British royal to give evidence in court in 130 years. In 2020, he and his wife Meghan Markle quit their roles as senior members of the royal family and opted for a more private life in the US. Since then Harry and Meghan have had a strained relationship with the royal family.

<h2>'Subjected to invasive articles since childhood'</h2>

On Tuesday, Harry stated in court that he has been subjected to incredibly invasive articles since his childhood. Harry was 13 when his mother passed away in a tragic car crash in Paris while being chased by the paparazzi. 
 
When the court asked Harry if he could recall any particular news article that carries a story about him during childhood, the Duke of Sussex was unable to specify and instead said, "I was a child, I was at school, these articles were incredibly invasive, every single time one of these articles was written, it would have an impact on my life, the people around me, my mother in this case." 
 
The trial began in May. Harry is one of more than 100 high-profile figures suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, for alleged wrongdoing between 1991 and 2011.

MGN, now owned by Reach, apologised at the beginning of the trial and admitted on one occasion that the Sunday People had unlawfully sought information about Harry, accepting he was entitled to compensation. 
 
However, the publication has rejected his other allegations, saying he had no evidence for his claims. 
 
It is expected that Harry will be asked about the role of Buckingham Palace during his cross-examination. MGN has reportedly claimed that many of the articles were published with the information provided by royal aides. 
 
Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, told the court on Monday that the lawsuit was not part of a vendetta against the press but intended to focus attention on alleged unlawful activities.

Sherborne said some 2,500 articles about Harry's private life had appeared in the MGN titles during the period the allegations covered, with nothing being "sacrosanct or out of bounds" and "no protection" from these unlawful information-gathering methods. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

 
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Britain's Prince Harry took to the witness stand on Tuesday to testify as a witness in a lawsuit that he has filed against the British tabloid Daily Mirror accusing them of phone hacking and other unlawful activities.

Britain's Prince Harry took to the witness stand on Tuesday to testify as a witness in a lawsuit that he has filed against the British tabloid Daily Mirror accusing them of phone hacking and other unlawful activities. Harry is King Charles and the late Princess Diana's younger son and has always been vocal about the toxic tabloid culture in Britain and how it has impacted him since childhood. Harry is the first senior British royal to give evidence in court in 130 years. In 2020, he and his wife Meghan Markle quit their roles as senior members of the royal family and opted for a more private life in the US. Since then Harry and Meghan have had a strained relationship with the royal family. 'Subjected to invasive articles since childhood' On Tuesday, Harry stated in court that he has been subjected to incredibly invasive articles since his childhood. Harry was 13 when his mother passed away in a tragic car crash in Paris while being chased by the paparazzi. When the court asked Harry if he could recall any particular news article that carries a story about him during childhood, the Duke of Sussex was unable to specify and instead said, "I was a child, I was at school, these articles were incredibly invasive, every single time one of these articles was written, it would have an impact on my life, the people around me, my mother in this case." The trial began in May. Harry is one of more than 100 high-profile figures suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, for alleged wrongdoing between 1991 and 2011. MGN, now owned by Reach, apologised at the beginning of the trial and admitted on one occasion that the Sunday People had unlawfully sought information about Harry, accepting he was entitled to compensation. However, the publication has rejected his other allegations, saying he had no evidence for his claims. It is expected that Harry will be asked about the role of Buckingham Palace during his cross-examination. MGN has reportedly claimed that many of the articles were published with the information provided by royal aides. Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, told the court on Monday that the lawsuit was not part of a vendetta against the press but intended to focus attention on alleged unlawful activities. Sherborne said some 2,500 articles about Harry's private life had appeared in the MGN titles during the period the allegations covered, with nothing being "sacrosanct or out of bounds" and "no protection" from these unlawful information-gathering methods. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Prince Harry testifies in court in phone tapping case: Invasive articles impacted my childhood

Prince Harry is set to make an appearance in the UK court as his case against the publisher of the Daily Mail begins. This also makes the Duke of Sussex the first senior British Royal to give evidence in the court in 130 years.

UK: Prince Harry set for court appearance, expected to give evidence against Mirror group

Prince Harry to appear before UK court as UK Royal sues Mirror group for alleged phone hacking

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Emotional Harry finishes evidence in historic tabloids court battle

Prince Harry testifies in court in phone tapping case: Invasive articles impacted my childhood

UK: Prince Harry set for court appearance, expected to give evidence against Mirror group

Prince Harry to appear before UK court as UK Royal sues Mirror group for alleged phone hacking