Prince Harry "Fought Back Tears" in Court, Says He Was "Conditioned" by Royal Family to "Accept" Negative Press

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Prince Harry appeared emotional as he gave testimony to the U.K. High Court on Wednesday, January 21, revealing that it was "disgusting" how Associated Newspapers Limited invaded his privacy.

The Duke of Sussex is in London to give evidence in his case against the media group, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. During his time on the stand, and in a written statement, he shared that living in the "institution" of the Royal Family prevented him from commenting from untrue stories about himself and his wife, Meghan Markle.

Per the Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex "fought back tears" as he gave evidence on the witness stand, claiming that the press "have made my wife's life an absolute misery, my Lord."

Prince Harry walking outside court in a blue suit — Prince Harry is seen at a London court on January 21.

"Having my life, like others, commercialized in this way since I was a teenager, delving into every aspect of my private life, listening to calls, blagging flights so they could see where I was going...It was a time when everyone was in competition with each other," Prince Harry said on Wednesday, per the media outlet.

"To sit here and go through this again and to hear them claim in their defense that I don’t have any right to privacy is disgusting," the duke added.

In a written witness statement, the Duke of Sussex also wrote that as "a member of the Institution"—meaning the Royal Family—"the policy was to 'never complain, never explain.'" He added, "There was no alternative; I was conditioned to accept it."

Prince Harry wearing a suit walking outside court — Prince Harry is seen at a London court on January 21.

Prince Harry is one of seven claimants in the suit, including Elizabeth Hurley, who are suing the publisher for obtaining stories through illegal tactics such as phone hacking.

In his statement, the Duke of Sussex added that the Royal Family "had a strict ‘no comment’ policy which meant that even the worst or most suspicious articles were often never brought to my attention."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.