Prince Harry has been accused of “deliberately destroying” potential evidence in his phone hacking case, a court was told. The case is related to his High Court phone hacking claim against the publisher of The Sun.
Back in December, Harry was awarded $180,700 after London’s High Court ruled that the Duke of Sussex was a victim of “modest” phone-hacking. The court determined that he was also a victim of other unlawful information gathering by journalists.
An attorney for the publisher of the British tabloid has now accused Harry of being involved in “shocking” and “extraordinary” obfuscation. Attorney Anthony Hudson accused Harry at High Court of destroying text messages exchanged with the ghostwriter who wrote his memoir, Spare.
Prince Harry’s lawyers dismiss allegations
Dismissing the allegations, Harry’s lawyers said the News Group Newspapers was carrying out a “classic fishing expedition” by requesting documents in the case after so long. “NGN’s tactical and sluggish approach to disclosure wholly undermines the deliberately sensational assertion that the claimant [Harry] has not properly carried out the disclosure exercise,” Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, said in court papers, according to New York Post.
“This is untrue. In fact, the claimant has already made clear that he has conducted extensive searches, going above and beyond his obligations,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“This is untrue. In fact, the claimant has already made clear that he has conducted extensive searches, going above and beyond his obligations,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Hudson responded by saying Harry had created an “obstacle course” to the documents the publisher is looking for. “If the claimant wanted his documents from his former solicitors’ or from the royal household … he would have got them,” said the attorney.
The Court was told that Harry now has to personally reveal how he destroyed drafts of his memoir, and text messages between him and his ghostwriter, “well after” the lawsuit launched in 2019. Presiding Justice Timothy Fancourt said on Thursday, June 27, the documents were destroyed after the case was underway already. Fancourt said that efforts will be made to retrieve these messages, exchanged between the Duke and JR Moehringer, his ghostwriter.
Meanwhile, the judge demanded that Harry’s legal team write to the King’s private secretary, his treasurer and keeper of the Privy Purse and urge them to hand over any record of communication with the Duke.