Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan has accused Prince Harry of desirous to “destroy the monarchy” in a scathing assault after a High Court ruling in a privateness case introduced by the royal.
Mr Morgan accused Prince Harry of a “hypocritical” strategy to privateness in an announcement outdoors his house this afternoon.
Phone hacking by the Mirror Group newspapers was carried out from 1996 to 2011, and was “widespread and habitual” from 1998, a High Court choose discovered at present. He referred to a ruling in 2015 that had discovered hacking was “extensive and habitual” from 1999 to 2006.
He additionally mentioned he discovered it “convincing” that Mr Morgan had recognized about telephone hacking when in cost on the paper.
The broadcaster edited The Mirror from 1995 to 2004.
Prince Harry hacking case – reside response
But the previous editor mentioned this afternoon: “There is only one article regarding the prince printed in The Daily Mirror throughout my total nine-year tenure as editor that he [the High Court judge] thinks might have concerned some illegal info gathering.
“To be clear, I had then and still have zero knowledge of how that particular story was gathered.”
Mr Morgan mentioned he wished to reiterate “I’ve never hacked a phone or told anyone else to hack a phone”.
“I wasn’t called as a witness by either side in the case nor was I asked to provide any statement. I would have very happily agreed to do either or both of those things had I been asked,” he added.
“So I wasn’t able to respond to the many false allegations that were spewed about me in court by old foes of mine with an axe to grind.”
Morgan: Prince’s ‘actual mission’ is to ‘destroy monarchy’
In reference to Prince Harry, who was a part of the case in opposition to The Mirror, Mr Morgan mentioned: “I want to say this: Prince Harry’s outrage at media intrusion into the private lives of the Royal Family is only matched by his own ruthless, greedy and hypocritical enthusiasm for doing it himself.
“He additionally says he is on a mission to reform the media when it is change into clear his actual mission, alongside together with his spouse, is to destroy the British monarchy.
“He talked today about the appalling behaviour of the press. But this is a guy who’s repeatedly trashed his family in public for hundreds of millions of dollars, even as two of its most senior and respected members were dying – his grandparents.
“It’s onerous to think about, frankly, extra appalling behaviour than that,” he mentioned.
Mr Morgan added: “As for him saying this is a good day for truth, the duke has been repeatedly exposed in recent years as someone who wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him around his California-tanned face.
“He calls for accountability for the press, however refuses to just accept any for himself for smearing the Royal Family, his circle of relatives, as a bunch of callous racists with out producing a shred of proof to assist these disgraceful claims.”
Read more:
What were the articles at the centre of the case?
Key findings in the judgment
Harry wins round one of tabloid battle – but he’s far from finished
The broadcaster additionally took purpose at ex-political strategist Alastair Campbell and royal journalist Omid Scobie, who have been each witnesses within the case.
“The judge appears to have believed the evidence of Omid Scobie, who lied about me in his new book, and he lied about me in court, and the whole world now knows him to be a deluded fantasist,” Mr Morgan mentioned.
“And he believed the evidence of Alastair Campbell, another proven liar who spun this country into an illegal war.”
Mr Campbell insisted he had been cleared of mendacity over the Iraq warfare, as he responded to Mr Morgan’s allegations about him in a publish on the social media web site X.
He mentioned: “Oh dearie me Piers Morgan seems to have forgotten about the several inquiries, including with evidence given on oath, which cleared me of lying or any other wrongdoing in relation to Iraq (an issue which was not, so far as I am aware, part of his never ending beef with Harry).”
Mr Campbell added he felt “duty bound” to provide proof about “illegal activity” however that he had no want to hurt the Mirror, a newspaper he used to work for.
He additionally accused Mr Morgan of “defensiveness” after the courtroom judgment.
Source: information.sky.com”