The News
Prince Harry Accuses Piers Morgan of Hiding Phone Hacking Scandal Involving Princess Diana
In a dramatic turn of events, Prince Harry has made serious allegations against Piers Morgan, claiming the former tabloid editor was aware of and concealed illegal activities targeting his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
According to Harry, these actions took place during Morgan's tenure as editor of the News of the World in the mid-1990s.
The prince asserts that journalists from Rupert Murdoch's tabloids were involved in obtaining Diana's private communications, including text messages and phone calls, prior to her tragic death.
Harry's claims were presented in court documents as part of his ongoing legal battle with News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher behind the notorious tabloid.
He contends that the information gathered through these illegal means served as fodder for numerous sensational stories published in both the Sun and News of the World.
This revelation adds another layer to the already complex relationship between the royal family and the press.
Morgan, who now hosts a nightly show on Murdoch's Talk TV Channel, has consistently denied any involvement in phone hacking during his time at the helm of the News of the World.
His past encounters with Harry have been contentious, especially after Morgan's controversial remarks about Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, led to his resignation from ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2021.
The allegations also highlight specific articles published while Morgan was editor, spanning from January 1994 to August 1995.
Harry insists that these pieces were products of illicit information gathering, with some written by Clive Goodman, the newspaper's royal correspondent, who later served prison time for hacking Prince William's voicemails.
Another implicated journalist is Gary Jones, who currently serves as the editor of the Daily Express.
In the court filings, Harry elaborates on the methods used by NGN journalists, asserting they intercepted messages from Diana's personal pager—a device popular before mobile phones became ubiquitous.
A striking detail mentioned involves a 21-page log of messages sent to the pager by Oliver Hoare, which reportedly ended up in the possession of Tom Crow, a senior lawyer at Murdoch's company.
These messages included inquiries about whether Diana's children were staying with their grandparents and their excitement about meeting the pop group Take That.
The allegations extend beyond Diana, with Harry claiming that personal communications belonging to his father, now King Charles III, and stepmother Camilla Parker Bowles, were also intercepted.
This broadens the scope of the scandal, implicating multiple members of the royal family in the murky world of tabloid journalism.
Morgan's history with phone hacking allegations is not limited to his time at the News of the World.
He has faced scrutiny over similar claims during his editorship at the Mirror from 1995 to 2004.
Last year, lawyers pursuing a case against the Mirror's parent company argued that Morgan must have known about the voicemail interception occurring under his watch.
Adding to the intrigue, television presenter Jeremy Paxman testified at the Leveson Inquiry that Morgan had once explained to him how mobile phone voicemails could be hacked.
Despite this, Morgan has publicly maintained that he never instructed anyone to engage in such practices.
As the legal proceedings unfold, questions linger about Harry's motivations.
Is he genuinely seeking justice for his mother, or is this a strategic move in a broader feud with the media?
The public is left to ponder whether this lawsuit is a desperate attempt to frame Morgan or if it holds substantial merit.
The ongoing saga between the royals and the press continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
With each new revelation, the lines between truth, speculation, and sensationalism blur further.
As the situation develops, many are left wondering what the future holds for both Prince Harry and Piers Morgan in this high-stakes legal drama.
Stay tuned as more details emerge, and the world watches closely to see how this intricate story unfolds.