Prince Harry Receives Meager £500 Compensation in Mirror Group Hacking Case

Prince Harry has been awarded a compensation of just £500 in his hacking claims against the Mirror Group, according to the High Court.

The Mirror Group newspapers argued that Prince Harry was not a victim of phone hacking and that his legal claim was merely an attempt to further his campaign for press reform.

The publisher has admitted to unlawfully obtaining the Duke's private information on one occasion at a nightclub, for which it has already apologized.

Today, Andrew Green, representing the Mirror Group, suggested that the Duke should receive no more than £500 in damages for this isolated incident.

The barrister further argued that the rest of Harry's case should be dismissed, emphasizing that the burden of proving his claims lies solely on him, despite his unique role in public life.

The compensation amount of £500 may seem like a small sum considering the drama surrounding the case.

Nevertheless, it is enough to cover the expenses for another court appearance.

It appears that Prince Harry will have to bear the costs himself, as his wife's actions have jeopardized any potential merchandising deals they may have had in the pipeline.

This outcome also raises questions about the credibility of Prince Harry's claims, as he failed to present concrete evidence for the 33 cases he was suing for.

The £500 compensation mentioned here pertains to an instance that was admitted by the Mirror Group even before the trial began, not any of the other cases.

Therefore, there is still a possibility that he may lose the trial and be required to pay the legal costs.

The trial, which has been ongoing for several weeks, has undoubtedly incurred substantial legal expenses for both parties involved.

Four representative claimants, including Prince Harry, have provided evidence during the seven-week trial.

The Mirror Group, publisher of renowned titles such as The Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People, has largely contested the claims, arguing that some of them have been brought forth too late.

As closing arguments commenced, Andrew Green, representing the Mirror Group, stated in a written submission that the majority of payment records to third parties either do not pertain to Prince Harry or do not involve unlawful information gathering.

He further argued that these payments are related to legitimate inquiries or articles that do not fall under the Duke's claim.

However, it is important to note that establishing oneself as a victim of general and widespread media intrusion does not automatically prove that one has fallen victim to unlawful voicemail interception or other illegal information gathering techniques by specific newspaper titles.

In light of this, Andrew Green suggested that Prince Harry should be awarded a maximum of £500, considering that the single invoice naming him relates to inquiries on an isolated occasion, and the small sum of £75 indicated on the invoice suggests limited inquiries.

At the beginning of the trial in May, Mr. Green expressed the Mirror Group's unreserved apology to Prince Harry for the aforementioned occasion and acknowledged his entitlement to appropriate compensation.

The newspaper group vehemently denies ever hacking into the Prince's communications.

Concluding his case, Mr. Green emphasized that it is impossible not to sympathize with Prince Harry, given the extraordinary degree of media intrusion he has faced throughout his life.

However, he reiterated that being a victim of widespread media intrusion is not equivalent to proving that the Mirror's titles had hacked into his communications.