Prince Harry is seeking damages of up to £320,000 from Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) as his phone-hacking lawsuit nears its end, according to court documents released on Friday.
The prince, along with approximately 100 others, is suing MGN, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People, over allegations of phone-hacking and unlawful information gathering between 1991 and 2011.
Harry claims that MGN senior editors and executives were aware of and approved the wrongdoing. However, MGN, owned by Reach, is disputing the allegations, stating that there is no evidence to support them.
Harry alleges that he was targeted by MGN for 15 years starting from 1996, resulting in over 140 stories published in MGN papers based on unlawfully obtained information. The trial, which concluded on Friday, is specifically focusing on 33 of these articles.
In the court documents made public on Friday, Harry is seeking damages of up to £320,000 in relation to the 33 articles if the court finds in his favor on all counts. The court may also consider whether Harry is entitled to aggravated damages, which compensate for additional distress caused by the defendant’s actions.
MGN contends that none of the 33 articles resulted from unlawful information gathering. The publisher claims there is no evidence that Harry’s phone was hacked and argues that some of the personal information may have come from senior Buckingham Palace aides with their consent.
The trial is expected to conclude on Friday, but a ruling is not anticipated for several months.
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