Prince Harry says intrusion by ‘vile’ tabloids had devastating impact

During cross-examination in phone-hacking trial, prince tells of paranoia he felt as a result of Mirror articles

Prince Harry has said vile" British tabloids had a devastating impact" on his mental health by portraying him as an irresponsible thicko" prone to underage drinking and drug taking.

The prince told the high court that the constant intrusion by tabloid press" eventually forced him to move his family to California while warning that Rishi Sunak's government was at rock bottom" and avoids scrutiny by getting in bed" with friendly newspapers.

Piers Morgan, the former Daily Mirror editor, has subjected Harry and his family to vile personal attacks" as a result of his decision to bring the case. Harry said he was left physically sick" by the idea of Morgan listening to private messages left by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

His voicemails were hacked by journalists while he was a schoolboy at Eton, and as a young man he had to hide in the boot of a car to avoid the paparazzi.

His relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was undermined by constant surveillance" by the tabloids that left them feeling hunted by the media".

He was deeply affected as a teenager by tabloid rumours that his real father was the army officer James Hewitt, saying such stories were hurtful, mean and cruel".

Tabloid coverage shaped how the public and army colleagues viewed him. I was facing judgments and opinions based on what had been reported about me, true or not. I expected people to be thinking: He's obviously going to fail this test, because he's a thicko,'" he said.