Prince Harry slams government as the court case is creating waves around the world.
In his 55-page witness statement, Prince Harry targeted the tabloid press more broadly when he questioned: “How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?”
The Duke is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles – which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
Harry has become the first prince to appear in court for 130 years.
Prince Harry slams government
Prince Harry said in witness statement : “Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our Government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.”
He continued: “Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the Government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.”
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Highlights of witness statement
In it Harry describes how the tabloid media created the public character of ‘Prince Harry’ and shaped how other people viewed him:
You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have. They then start to edge you towards playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible, especially if you are the ‘spare’ to the ‘heir’. You’re then either the ‘playboy prince’, the ‘failure’, the ‘dropout’ or, in my case, the ‘thicko’, the ‘cheat’, the ‘underage drinker’, the ‘irresponsible drug taker’, the list goes on.
As a teenager and in my early twenties, I ended up feeling as though I was playing up to a lot of the headlines and stereotypes that they wanted to pin on me mainly because I thought that, if they are printing this rubbish about me and people were believing it, I may as well ‘do the crime’, so to speak. It was a downward spiral, whereby the tabloids would constantly try and coax me, a ‘damaged’ young man, into doing something stupid that would make a good story and sell lots of newspapers. Looking back on it now, such behaviour on their part is utterly vile.
I always felt as if the tabloids wanted me to be single, as I was much more interesting to them and sold more newspapers.
Related: Prince Harry court: Slams UK press & makes serious claim
