Prince Harry becomes emotional after day of dramatic evidence against Mail publisher

Prince Harry Becomes Emotional During Heated High Court Evidence Against Daily Mail Publisher

Wednesday 21 January 2026 

Prince Harry became visibly emotional at the High Court as he concluded a tense day of evidence against the publisher of the Daily Mail, telling the court his wife Meghan’s life had been made an “absolute misery”.

The Duke of Sussex spent around two hours being cross-examined by Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) lawyer Anthony White KC, during what was at times a heated and confrontational exchange.

Harry, 41, told the court the suggestion that he has no right to privacy was “disgusting”, adding that it was “fundamentally wrong” for the case to be necessary when all he wanted was “an apology and accountability”.

“It is absolutely wrong to believe that my life is open season to be commercialised by these people,” he said.

The moment he referred to his wife marked the emotional peak of the session.

“They continue to come after me. They have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord,” he said, his voice faltering.

Harry is suing ANL over alleged unlawful information gathering between 1993 and 2011, alongside several high-profile claimants including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Sir Simon Hughes.

ANL strongly denies the allegations and argues the claims were brought too late.

After two days of opening submissions, Harry became the first witness to give evidence on Wednesday.

In his written witness statement, released on Tuesday, the duke described an “uneasy relationship” with the press following the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was 12.

He told the court that when his relationship with Meghan became public in 2016, he grew increasingly concerned by what he described as “vicious, persistent attacks” and intrusive reporting, including articles he said were sometimes racist.

During cross-examination, Harry rejected suggestions that private information could have come from his social circle, denying he had “leaky” friends and insisting his life had been “commercialised” since his teenage years.

He also told the court he felt unable to challenge press intrusion while he was a working royal, citing institutional constraints and the sheer volume of media coverage.

“If you complain, they double down on you, in my experience,” he said.

At several points, Mr Justice Nicklin reminded the duke that his role was to answer questions rather than argue the case, though Harry responded that he had previously had a “bad experience” in court.

The Duchess of Sussex previously won a legal case against ANL in 2021 after The Mail on Sunday published parts of a private letter she wrote to her father.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Prince Harry said:
“Today we reminded the Mail Group who is on trial and why.”

The trial continues.