Royal news – live: Prince Harry blames phone hacking case for rift with royal family in bombshell documentary

Duke of Sussex describes phone-hacking ruling as ‘monumental’

Prince Harry has laid bare the hurt and anger he still feels over the phone hacking scandal as he blamed the tabloid press for the ongoing rift in the royal family.

Breaking his silence on his successful court case against the tabloid press, he told ITV that his determination to fight had been a “central piece” in the rift between him and his family.

He said: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. “

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Recap: Invictus announcement comes at critical time for the games

The announcement that Prince Harry’s Invictus Games is returning to the UK in 2027 has come at a crucial time for the event.

The former chief executive of the games announced his departure recently after a decade at the helm and six games across three continents.

Dominic Reid, who has been credited with helping the foundation’s growth globally, said the organisation was a “great place” but now needed a “fresh look”.

“It’s without question the community that has been built,” he said. “It’s a fantastic closed community and it’s growing 40 per cent a year, which is phenomenal, internationally it’s grown to include friends and families and that’s a vitally important part as well.

“The community is what we have achieved. It has had a healing effect.”

Prince Harry said he was “immensely grateful” to his “friend” Mr Reid for transforming the Paralympic-style sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans from an ambitious idea into a global movement.

He praised his tireless efforts and spoke of the journey they shared together.

Dominic Reid and Harry watch the wheelchair rugby during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, last year (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Archive)

Athena Stavrou25 July 2024 04:00

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Prince Harry blames phone hacking case for royal rift

Prince Harry has spoken out about how his decision to bring his privacy case against the tabloid press impacted the rift between himself and his family.

The duke won his privacy battle against Mirror Group newspapers in December 2023 as a judge ruled he had been the target of phone hacking.

Breaking his silence on the case, he told ITV in a new documentary that his determination to fight the tabloids had been a “central piece” in the rift between him and his family.

He said: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family.”

(ITV)

Athena Stavrou25 July 2024 03:00

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What were the most expensive royal trips in the last year?

The royal family made few foreign trips in the year to March 2024, perhaps reflecting a need to stay closer to home during a period in which both the King and the Princess of Wales spent time in hospital for cancer treatment.

There are 27 separate journeys by royal family members listed in the official report for 2023/24 where travel costs were at least £17,000, only eight of which involved the King.

This includes the most expensive trip in the 12 months to March 2024, the five-day state visit by the King and Queen to Kenya in October and November 2023, which had travel costs totalling £166,557.

Most expensive royal trips 2023/24. (PA Wire)

Athena Stavrou25 July 2024 01:00

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Solar panel castles and biofuel Bentleys: King Charles’s royal palaces go green in his first year as monarch

The royal estate is undergoing a climate-friendly makeover in the first full year of King Charles’ reign, according to a report which shows his efforts to reach net-zero targets within palace walls.

Known for his commitment to the environment, the King has pushed ahead with green measures including adding solar panels to the royal estate as well as converting his pair of Bentley’s to run on biofuel.

Energy efficient electric ‘gas’ lamps will also be installed, according to Wednesday’s annual Sovereign Grant report, which revealed that Charles and Camilla have overseen a three per cent decrease in natural gas and heating emissions in the last year as a result of the green initiatives.

Read the full story here:

Palaces goes green in Charles’ first year as monarch

State Bentleys to undergo refurbishment to run on biofuel

Athena Stavrou25 July 2024 00:01

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Frogmore Cottage remains empty a year after Harry and Meghan vacated it

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s former home, Frogmore Cottage, remains empty more than a year after they officially vacated the property.

Palace officials at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing said there were no new tenants in the Grade II Crown Estate property in Windsor Home Park.

It has been said that Harry has stayed in a hotel on recent visits to the UK, rather than at a royal residence.

The Sussexes were asked to move any remaining possessions out of their UK home close to Windsor Castle in 2023, just weeks after the duke criticised his family in his controversial memoir Spare.

Frogmore Cottage is a Crown Estate property (Steve Parsons/PA) (PA Archive)

A Palace official said: “During the year, Frogmore Cottage has remained empty.

“I don’t think, at this point, I would speculate on who will be the future occupants of the cottage.”

He added: “The Sovereign Grant has been fully reimbursed for the refurbishment costs of Frogmore cottage when it was initially provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, therefore, there is no cost to the Sovereign Grant other than some routine maintenance, but it would be required for any of the buildings.”

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 23:00

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Prince Harry reflects on tabloid headlines as he speaks out about phone hacking

Prince Harry has reflected on tabloid headlines about his personal life as he opens up about his legal battle against the tabloid press.

The duke has broken his silence in a new ITV documentary after winning his privacy case against Mirror Group newspapers in December.

Looking at a headline from the time about his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy apparently preparing to split with him, the Prince said: “Harry’s girl to dump him – seems as though they knew something before I even did.”

He also says: “I think there’s a lot of I guess, paranoia, fear, worry, concern, distrust in the people around you, clearly a headline like that has absolutely no public interest whatsoever.

“There’s a big difference between what interests the public and what is public interest, so what happens in my private life between myself and [my] then girlfriend is exactly that, between us.”

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 22:00

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Harry speaks about Princess Diana as he opens up about phone hacking case

As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case, Prince Harry opened up about his mother’s own experience of phone hacking.

Harry won a legal battle against the tabloid press last December as it was ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking.

Speaking in a new ITV documentary about whether the hacking made him paranoid he said: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid. You know, same with my mother.

“You know, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-nineties, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid.

But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 21:00

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Prince William would ‘rather WhatsApp’ than call

Kensington Palace has given an insight into the working world of Prince William, and his penchant for sending a barrage of WhatsApp messages – unlike his father the King, the 24th duke of Cornwall, who prefers the old-fashioned telephone.

Alastair Martin, the Duchy of Cornwall’s secretary and keeper of records, said: “Sustainability is a passion that they both share but there are some differences.

“His royal highness the 24th duke would telephone me. His royal highness the 25th Duke, will WhatsApp me.”

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 20:00

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Prince William refuses to reveal tax bill, breaking King Charles tradition

The Prince of Wales has refused to reveal how much tax he pays on private income derived from his huge property portfolio.

Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, which he inherited on the death of his grandmother Elizabeth II, generated profits of £23.6m over the last financial year, according to the estate’s latest annual report.

The decision marked a stark contrast with his father King Charles III, who would publish a full breakdown of household costs and his tax, which for the year ending 2022 was £5.89m.

Kensington Palace said the Prince was paying the “appropriate” level of income tax and his decision not to publish details reflected “what was required”, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Tax is paid by the Prince of Wales on his earnings from the Duchy of Cornwall after deducting official expenditure on his family.

(PA Wire)

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 19:00

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Prince Harry speaks on tabloid court battle

Prince Harry has broken his silence on his phone-hacking court battle with the tabloid press.

The duke won his privacy battle against Mirror Group newspapers in December 2023 as a judge ruled he had been the target of unlawful information gathering.

He described the win as “monumental” as he spoke about the legal battle for the first time in an ITV documentary

He said: “To go in there and come out and have the judge rule in our favour was obviously huge. But for him to go as far as he did with regard to, you know, this wasn’t just the individual people. This went right up to the top…this was lawyers, this was high executives. And to be able to achieve that in a trial that’s a monumental victory.”

(EPA)

Athena Stavrou24 July 2024 18:00