Prince Harry Sits Down for Documentary to Speak About His Mission to Continue His Fight Against the U.K.'s Tabloid Press

Harry is expected to discuss the phone hacking scandal he was involved in alongside other celebrities like Hugh Grant in ‘Tabloids on Trial,’ out later this month on ITV.

Prince Harry walking into High Court today for his phone hacking trial
(Image credit: Getty)
Rachel Burchfield
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Just as Prince William announced a documentary of his own earlier this week—his about eradicating homelessness—Prince Harry, too, will take part in a forthcoming documentary, his about the phone hacking scandal that he took to court, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Hugh Grant will also participate in the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, which focuses “on ongoing legal battles and involvement in the phone hacking scandal,” the outlet writes. 

Prince Harry headed into High Court in the U.K. with photographers surrounding him

Harry, seen here heading into High Court in the U.K.

(Image credit: Getty)

Harry alleged that he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) titles The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, which closed back in 2011. That same year, news broke that some of Britain’s biggest celebrities—like Harry and Grant—were allegedly victims of a scandal in which “the media’s top newspapers were tapping landlines and fitting properties with listening devices in the name of journalism,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. “NGN has denied any illegal activity took place at The Sun.”

In December, Justice Timothy Fancourt ruled in Harry’s favor against Mirror Group Newspapers in a 386-page decision handed down in the High Court. He said that phone hacking–which, for Harry, went all the way back as far as 2003—was “widespread and habitual” at The Daily Mirror, and that executives there had covered it up.

“Our mission continues,” Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said in a statement on behalf of Harry outside court after the victory, per Hello. “I believe in the positive change it will bring for all of us. It is the very reason why I started this, and why I will continue to see it through to the end.” 

Prince Harry grimaces as he leaves a U.K. courtroom

Harry won a "substantial sum" earlier this year after a judge ruled in his favor in December.

(Image credit: Getty)

According to The Daily Beast, Harry settled for a “substantial sum” earlier this year after receiving a $160,000 award for The Daily Mirror’s hacking by its journalists between 2006 to 2011. ITV’s Chris Ship, per The Daily Beast, said that in the documentary Harry would explain why he “is fighting to expose what he says are the illegal activities of Britain’s tabloid newspapers.”

In addition to Harry and Grant, former soccer player Paul Gascoigne and singer Charlotte Church will also be featured in the upcoming documentary, and ITV News’ Rebecca Barry will sit down with Harry—who, in The Hollywood Reporter’s words, “has broken from royal tradition with the immense legal action”—for Harry’s first major interview since the legal action commenced.

Hugh Grant

Grant is also expected to take part in the ITV documentary, out July 25.

(Image credit: Getty)

Tabloids on Trial—which “hears about his mission to continue his fight to expose the illegal tactics of Britain’s tabloid press, and explore what those in charge at Fleet Street really knew as this scandal unfolded,” according to a press release from ITV—will air on the network on Thursday, July 25.

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Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more. 

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