The tabloid story Prince Harry claims was obtained illegally actually arose from an interview he gave on his 18th birthday, High Court documents say.
The prince gave an interview to the Press Association where he revealed that he had received a gift of golf clubs from his uncle Earl Spencer and planned to be at home for his big day at Highgrove with his father and brother.
The Daily Mirror published an article it claimed was based on the interview on 16 September 2002.
It is now one of 140 items the Duke of Sussex claims were obtained illegally.
On Harry’s birthday, his PR advisers arranged an interview at St James’s Palace in London. It was released by the Press Association Broadcasting Service, where most newspapers carry a version of it.
The story Prince Harry (pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London in March) complains was illegally obtained from an interview he gave on his 18th birthday, according to High Court documents.
In the High Court this week (pictured), the Duke of Sussex claimed his privacy had been invaded by a short article in the Daily Mirror, whose publisher claimed the 161-word article “simply repeated details given by the claimant”.
In the High Court this week, the Duke of Sussex claimed his privacy had been invaded by a short article in the Daily Mirror, whose publisher claimed the 161-word article “simply repeated details given by the claimant”.
It says many of its stories about the Duke of Sussex came not from hacks, but from royals and courtiers.
Yesterday, in the second day of the seven-week trial, the Duke’s lawyer, David Sherborne, argued that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan was “directly involved” in the illegal gathering of information.
Mr Morgan has always vehemently denied hacking phones or telling any of his employees to do so.
Mr Sherborne said: “What we have, we say, is Mr. Morgan’s direct involvement in a number of these incidents. Mr. Morgan is right at the heart of it in a number of ways. He was a very hands-on editor.”
The Duke’s lawyer, David Sherborne, claims that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan (pictured) was “directly involved” in the illegal gathering of information.
Mr Sherborne said the court would hear evidence from the paper’s former political editor, David Seymour, that Mr Morgan had openly discussed how phone hacking worked when lunching with bosses.
Mr Seymour recalled an occasion when Mr Morgan obtained a recording of a voicemail left by Sir Paul McCartney, in which the singer sang a Beatles song to Heather Mills, in an attempt to settle the dispute.
MGN disputes the claims, saying some were filed too late and rejecting most others. It denies any senior officials knew of wrongdoing.