Prince Harry Felt "Deprived" of His "Teenage Years" Because of Associated Newspapers, Court Told

The duke appeared in court on Monday.

Princes Harry and William leave Chester Cathedral after the wedding of Lady Tamara Grovesnor on November 6, 2004 in Chester, England
(Image credit: Photo by Gareth Cattermole / Getty)

Prince Harry unexpectedly appeared in court in London on Monday to attend the hearing for his joint case against Associated Newspapers, the publishers of the Daily Mail.

That day, journalists were given access to court documents, including one filed by attorney David Sherborne on the Duke of Sussex' behalf.

The document details how the publishers' alleged actions not only infringed on Harry's privacy throughout the years, but also how they deeply affected his quality of life.

The duke is "troubled that, through Associated’s unlawful acts, he was largely deprived of important aspects of his teenage years," the document read, according to the Evening Standard.

"In particular, suspicion and paranoia was caused by Associated’s publication of the unlawful articles: friends were lost or cut off as a result and everyone became a 'suspect' since he was misled by the way that the articles were written into believing that those close to him were the source of this information being provided to Associated’s newspapers."

The document continued, "The claimant regards Associated’s unlawful acts to amount to a major betrayal given promises made by the media to improve its conduct following the tragic and untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997."

The case sees Prince Harry join forces with a group of prominent public figures including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, who are accusing Associated Newspapers of various invasions of privacy, including allegations of phone tapping, "the hiring of private investigators," and "the accessing of bank accounts, credit histories and financial transactions through illicit means and manipulation," among other things.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.