By Monika Kennedy and Ina Michaelis-Ugwonno
On Monday he was still missing in the courtroom, NOW Prince Harry (38) will testify personally in London. Under cross-examination!
At 10:38 a.m. German time, Prince Harry walks past the waiting journalists into the hall. He smiles, seems relaxed, looks around, his right hand is in his trouser pocket. He seems surprised at how many people are standing in front of Room No. 15.
The London High Court: This is where Harry will testify
Photo: Reuters
With the son of King Charles III. (74) is the first time a member of the Royal Family has taken the witness stand in more than 130 years. The court had already opened its doors early in the morning, and the hearing started around 11 a.m. German time.
Why is?
The prince, who has meanwhile emigrated to the USA, accuses the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) of having illegally wiretapped and spied on him for years. Even when he was a minor.
“No aspect of the young prince’s life was safe,” Harry’s attorney David Sherborne said on Monday. School, friends and family were targets of the press in pursuit of private details and scandals.
However, judge Timothy Fancourt was irritated on Monday – because actually it was Prince Harry since it was already expected. As Fancourt pointed out, witnesses should be available a day before they are scheduled to testify. But Harry was missing.
But on Tuesday he will be there! The lawyer for the publisher Mirror Group Newspapers, Andrew Green, has already announced that he wants to cross-examine the prince for a day and a half.
Prince Harry accuses the publisher of around 150 articles with private and intimate content as a result of years of illegal wiretapping and spying. 33 of these are being discussed before the High Court in London.
One of them is a 1996 article that claimed Harry’s mother Diana († 36) spent little time with him on his 12th birthday. Other articles were about a sports accident (including medical details) or about Harry’s longtime girlfriend Chelsy Davy (37), whom he is said to have “bombarded” with messages in order to win her back after a breakup.
Prince Harry in 2008 with his childhood sweetheart Chelsy Davy
Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Revelations like these were apparently fueled by “unlawful activity,” Harry’s attorney said. “These methods acted like a spider’s web around the prince in hopes of intercepting valuable information that they were seeking through illegal means, some of which became stories.”
“There is hardly anything that is taboo”
So now the climax of the process: Prince Harry will have to answer questions in cross-examination and face the questions of the lawyer on the other side.
The interrogation could be a painful experience for Harry, media lawyer Matthew Dando said in an interview with the BBC. Because the goal of cross-examination is to undermine the credibility of the witness.
“There is hardly anything that is taboo. It could invade all areas of personal and private life,” says Dando.
The process began on May 10 and should be completed by the end of June. The verdict is not expected until later in the year.