Prince Harry seeks up to $560,000 in wiretapping lawsuit

Britain’s Prince Harry is seeking damages of around £440,000 (about $560,000) from Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), according to court documents released on Friday, revealed as the wiretapping trial begins. approaches the end.

The prince and 100 others are suing MGN, publishers of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, in London’s High Court over allegations of phone tapping and illegal intelligence gathering between 1991 and 2011. They say senior editors and MGN executives knew and approved of the wrongdoing. MGN, owned by Reach, says there is no evidence to back up the allegations.

Harry says he was targeted by the MGN for 15 years from 1996 and that more than 140 stories that appeared in his newspapers were the result of illegal intelligence gathering, although the trial – which ends on Friday – is considering just 33 of them.

The prince is seeking up to £320,000 in damages in respect of the 33 matters should the court rule in Harry’s favor in all of them, according to court documents that were released on Friday.

Another document released by the plaintiffs’ lawyers shows the prince is seeking a further £120,000 for 61 episodes of alleged illegal intelligence gathering that allegedly took place against Harry and others, including his mother, the late Princess Diana.

The court may also consider whether Harry is entitled to what are known as aggravated damages, which can be awarded to compensate the claimant for additional suffering caused by the defendant’s actions.

MGN argues that none of the 33 stories were the result of illegal intelligence gathering and that there is no evidence that Harry’s phone was tapped. Some of the personal information about him came from, or with the consent of, high-ranking advisers to Buckingham Palace. The publisher argues that Harry should not be paid more than £37,000, even if he earns in all 33 subjects, according to documents released on Friday.