“Anyone of the thousands of people I’ve met or been introduced to on any given day can easily say, ‘You know what, you’re an idiot. I’ve read all the stories about you and now I hate you and I’m going to stab you,’ Prince Harry said in a witness statement to a case that once again threatened to rewrite what we know about royal family.
His statement, at this week’s preliminary hearing on the phone hack, is a very candid self-portrait, moving from anger, outrage, and obsession to seeming frequently in a state of disrepair run away or fight.
Prince Harry believes his battle with the tabloid press puts him at risk from the public that has turned against him, describing him, in his own words, as a ‘thicko’, ‘scam’ frauds’, ‘underage drinkers’ and ‘irresponsible drug addicts’. “
We already know that’s not going away – with Prince Harry poised to break the royal taboo in the witness box, making it clear he would testify in person, if not In this case, with friends, press groups.
It became increasingly clear that he had the money and the will to go along with the newspapers. And his opponents in this case – News Group Newspaper – have also made it clear that they deny his allegations and that he should have made these claims years ago and they are out of time.
Harry’s language, not the dry tone typically found in legal documents, demonstrates his willingness to work through it. Not only did he protest against the other side in this case, he called their behavior “absolutely despicable”, “disgusting, immoral and a complete abuse of power” and said they had had a “devastating impact” on his mental health.
And it is understood that his statement is a “mildly” version of the original.
The theft case, which he claims the story was based on illegally obtained information, pushed all the buttons for Harry. The allegations stem from the loss of his mother, his anger at his brother, his anger at the media’s actions, his fear for the safety of his family, and his apparent frustration with his father “method”.
