The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, added a touch of levity to a serious courtroom proceeding on Tuesday, June 6.
As the hearing concluded in London - where Prince Harry is seeking legal redress against Mirror Group Newspapers for purported phone hacking - the court directed him not to share any evidence revealed during the proceedings until his next appearance in court.
In response, the jovial father of two asked, with a twinkle in his eye, whether this directive extended to his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two young children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2. He hinted that he intended to video call them later that evening.
This week marked the beginning of Prince Harry's lawsuit against the media conglomerate. He cited multiple incidents where he alleges MGN employed illegal tactics to obtain confidential information to embellish their stories.
In his testimony, Prince Harry also pointed out numerous instances where the published articles had a profoundly negative effect on his well-being.
One of his grievances was against MGN for propagating a rumor suggesting that James Hewitt was his biological father. This speculation disregards the timeline, as Hewitt's relationship with Princess Diana didn't commence until after Harry's birth.
Prince Harry stated, "Being an 18-year-old who lost his mother only six years prior, such stories felt deeply hurtful and very real. The motives behind these hurtful, mean, and cruel stories were always questionable. Was the aim of the newspapers to plant seeds of doubt among the public and facilitate my expulsion from the royal family?"
Additionally, Prince Harry claimed that the relentless characterization of him as "a failure," "a drug user," and other disparaging labels led to his rebellious phase.
He explained, "During my teenage years and early 20s, I felt compelled to live up to the headlines and stereotypes they insisted on pinning on me. Primarily because I believed that if they were going to peddle these lies about me and people were buying into it, I may as well 'commit the crime,' metaphorically speaking."
He further alleged, "This created a vicious cycle where the tabloids consistently tried to provoke me, a 'damaged' young man, into committing a reckless act that would provide a good story and boost newspaper sales."
The legal proceedings will resume on Wednesday, June 7, in High Court. Harry's humorous comment about discussing the evidence with Meghan and their children was reported by People.
