'Intimate' texts Prince Harry sent to journalist released in court
Prince Harry's 10-week privacy case against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), who publish the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, has brought a number of questionable texts to the fore.
The Royal isn't alone in taking the press to court, as he was joined in court by actress Elizabeth Hurley, actor Sadie Frost, Sir Elton John and the singer's husband David Furnish, in addition to ex-Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes and campaigner Baroness Lawrence.
They have all sued ANL over claims that it misused their private information, as claimants opened up and provided emotional evidence in the case.
Harry spent two hours in the witness box, after flying in from the US to provide evidence in person, report the BBC.
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He claimed that the publications subjected him to 'an endless pursuit, a campaign, an obsession with having every aspect of my life under surveillance so they could get the run on their competitors'.
Among the evidence unveiled though, were some intimate messages between the Royal and a young female journalist, who even called him 'Mr Mischief'.
While he claimed to the High Court that he did not have friendships with journalists, a number of alleged Facebook exchanges with writer Charlotte Griffiths were made public on Tuesday (31 March), the final day of his trial.
Harry gave evidence in January, explaining: “I am not friends with any of these journalists,” claiming that those close to him wouldn't speak to the press either.
He claimed that stories were published by the titles which came from phone hacking and bugging, The Times report.
Griffiths claimed that she joined the Prince at a weekend country house in 2011 hosted by his close friend Arthur Landon.
In one of their message exchanges in December 2011, she called him 'Mr Mischief', and highlighted the 'weekend of naughtiness' they had, adding: "Can't we all get up to no good in the countryside every weeked (sic) damn it?? Smooches, CG String xx."
Harry wrote back, claiming it was 'without doubt the best of those weekends I've been to', asking how he got that nickname despite being 'no worse than anyone else', with the journalist clarifying that it was a compliment as they 'competitively out-naughtied each other'.
More messages referred to 'Skippy', the nickname of Harry's close friend Tom Inskip, as Griffiths spoke about the Prince's 'skippy surfing' overshadowing 'the scandal on our weekend'.
After she asked about Thursday plans, Harry replied and said he was busy that night, though he would be 'hungover again for the third day running'.
He signed off: "U missed a good party last night, skippy was on great form. Mwah xxx."
Griffiths had joined the Mail on Sunday in 2008, meaning she was working there at the time these messages were sent, becoming diary editor from 2013 to 2020 and is now editor-at-large.
Messages in January 2012 were reportedly sent while Harry was on an Army helicopter pilot training exercise at RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall, where Griffiths said: "We missed you so much at Arthur's last week."
Harry wrote: "Chartie I WISH I was there sugar but unfortunately stuck in Cornwall doing Army stuff :(."
He joked if she ever worked, saying he was 'bummed' to miss Arthurs before signing off: "Miss our movie snuggles!! I'm off comms all week incase u think I'm being rude, keep me posted xxx xxx xxx."
The journalist was also questioned about a phone call to Harry at 2.50am and three text message exchanges, as she said she went to a club with Landon before going back to his home for an 'after party'.
A written witness statement from Griffiths read: “Arthur hadn’t made it home by the time that I arrived but told me Prince Harry was staying at the flat and that the party had already started under Prince Harry’s watch.”
She also claimed that Prince William revealed at a weekend party in 2012 that Kate was pregnant, four days before the news broke.
Speaking of his relationship with Griffiths, Harry claimed: “The first time I met Ms Griffiths was actually at a friend’s weekend and I had no idea that she was a journalist at that time.”
When asked if she had socialised with his friends, the Royal answered: “Not as far as I’m aware. I met her once at a weekend, and then the next day, after I’d left, after the weekend had finished, I found out who she was.
“I had words with my friend and that was that.”
He also alleged: “The only time I’ve met her was at that weekend with Mr Landon and, as I said, I had no idea who she was. I don’t — was she working for the Daily Mail at that time. When I found out, I cut contact with her.
“My social circles were not ‘leaky’, I want to make that absolutely clear, and any time that I was suspicious… then I would have to cut communication with those people.”
Topics: Prince Harry, Royal Family, Celebrity
Joshua Nair