Prince Harry Takes Aim at Tabloid Phone Hacking in New Sit-Down Interview for Documentary
ITV's "Tabloids on Trial," which also features Hugh Grant, will debut on July 25
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Prince Harry arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice on March 30, 2023 in London.Prince Harry's next interview has been revealed.
On July 10, ITV announced that the Duke of Sussex, 39, participated in a new documentary about phone hacking. Tabloids on Trial is slated to premiere on Thursday, July 25.
ITV royals editor Chris Ship wrote on X, "He tells our reporter @BeccaBarry why he is fighting to expose what he says are the illegal activities of Britain’s tabloid newspapers. Hugh Grant, Charlotte Church, Paul Gascoigne also speak. 'Tabloids on Trial' ITV1, 9pm on July 25"
The update came with two new photos of Prince Harry from the interview. One shot showed the Duke of Sussex solo, and the other captured him sitting on a couch in conversation with Barry, a health correspondent at ITV News.
The Hollywood Reporter said the documentary "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."
King Charles' son has recently been involved in four lawsuits against newspaper publishers in the U.K. over allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts.
Separately, the Duke of Sussex lost his legal challenge to have police security in the U.K. earlier this year. He previously said he "felt forced" to step back from his royal role and leave the U.K. in 2020, citing security concerns for his family — his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. High Court judge Peter Lane upheld the decision by the U.K. government not to give them automatic protection in the country and downgrade his security.
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Prince Harry arrives to give evidence at the Mirror Group Phone hacking trial at the Rolls Building at High Court on June 06, 2023 in London, England.In December 2023, Harry emerged victorious in his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts. The trial began in May 2023, and he made history last June as the first prominent member of the British royal family to give evidence in court in 130 years when he took the stand to testify against the newspaper group.
Though he was not present when the judge handed down the ruling and awarded him around $180,000 against MGN, he described the decision as "vindicating" in a powerful statement read by his lawyer, David Sherbourne.
"Today is a great day for truth as well as accountability," Prince Harry said in part. "I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned. But in light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press – it’s a worthwhile price to pay. The mission continues."
The passionate language called back to a comment the Duke of Sussex made in an ITV interview timed to the release of his memoir, Spare, in January 2023.
“One of the reasons why I am moving the — the mission of changing the media landscape within the U.K. from being personal to my life’s work, a large part of that is down to the ongoing legal battles,” Prince Harry told Tom Bradby, WalesOnline reported.
The Duke of Sussex is involved in litigation against News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged invasions of privacy from the mid-1990s until 2016 (per Reuters) and Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) for two separate issues.
Prince Harry, Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley are among the high-profile figures suing ANL (publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday) for illegal information gathering. Harry may also be called to give evidence in London court after losing an attempt to have the Mail on Sunday's defense of his libel lawsuit thrown out.
Some of the cases in the NGN lawsuit are likely to be heard at a trial in January 2025.
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Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, on September 15, 2023.Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
In late June, the Duke of Sussex was ordered to explain how potential evidence has gone missing in his lawsuit against NGN after he was accused of destroying documents and communications.
Attorney Anthony Hudson — representing the publisher of The Sun — told the court on June 27 that Prince Harry deleted drafts of Spare, as well as messages with the book's ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer.
Harry's attorney Sherborne accused NGN of a "transparent, old-fashioned fishing expedition," according to court papers obtained by PEOPLE.
"NGN's tactical and sluggish approach to disclosure wholly undermines the deliberately sensational assertion that [the Duke of Sussex] has not properly carried out the disclosure exercise," Sherborne said in court documents. "This is untrue. In fact, the Claimant has already made clear that he has conducted extensive searches, going above and beyond his obligations."
Sherborne added that these measures have included a physical search of Prince Harry's California home, confirming old email addresses were no longer accessible and making inquiries to the "Royal Household" about relevant documents.
The announcement about Tabloids on Trial comes ahead of Prince Harry's appearance at the 2024 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 11, where he will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service in recognition of the impact his Invictus Games Foundation has made since its inception a decade ago.
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