Prince Harry, in his pursuit of justice in a privacy lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), found a robust supporter in his uncle Charles Spencer, who expressed his advocacy on social media platforms.
Princess Diana's younger brother took a firm stance against some elements of media reportage surrounding Prince Harry's testimony at the High Court in London this Tuesday and Wednesday. A Twitter post saw him critique Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell's inference that Prince Harry remains fixated on his past relationship with Chelsy Davy, given the frequency of her mention compared to his wife, Meghan Markle, during his testimony.
Platell penned, "Is Harry still obsessed with former love Chelsy Davy? Harry mentions her 118 times in court evidence, Meghan just five times. No wonder Meg's didn't show up!"
In a sharp rebuttal, Spencer dubbed her "pathetic," with "no shame and even less credibility," referring to a past encounter with the columnist, which he claimed resulted in libel. Spencer's post read, "Last time I heard from you, you were guilty of libelling me, as your employer at @DailyMailUK agreed. Now you're put up (by them?) to misrepresent significant legal evidence as if it was something trivial."
Pathetic, @amandajplatell - you have no shame, and even less credibility. Last time I heard from you, you were guilty of libelling me, as your employer at @DailyMailUK agreed. Now you’re put up (by them?) to misrepresent significant legal evidence as if it was something trivial. https://t.co/rFPLEcDtk9 — Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) June 7, 2023
Answering a comment seeking direction towards 'significant evidence' of phone hacking, the 9th Earl Spencer cited "the tens of millions paid out by the @DailyMirror group to those they hacked."
Spencer, 58, also amplified the viewpoint of writer and strategist Alastair Campbell. The former Tony Blair adviser highlighted in a Twitter thread how Prince Harry raised a critical issue about the corrosion of trust within personal circles when untraceable stories surface.
Campbell pointed out, "In several of the worst I now know that the information came not from internal sources but phone hacking or illegal blagging. Harry may not be able to prove that all of the stories referred to in court came from illegal activity. But that illegal activity was being conducted on a near industrial scale by several papers is beyond doubt."
Spencer also endorsed a follow-up commentary by Campbell, urging those interested in Harry's case to avoid press coverage and directly access online transcripts. Additionally, he showed support for tweets championing Prince Harry and critiquing the British press.
In his ongoing civil case against MGN, Prince Harry alleges unlawful journalism practices, including phone hacking, to obtain personal information. His testimony involves articles published between 1996 to 2011, which he claims are products of illegal activities. After missing his Monday court date, the Duke of Sussex was cross-examined on Tuesday and Wednesday.
