Prince Harry fears a lone actor believing negative press reports about him and Meghan Markle could attack the couple, citing it as one of the reasons he left the UK.
The Duke of Sussex spoke about how phone hacking became a “central piece” in the ongoing rift with his family in an explosive ITV documentary charting the egregious and illegal methods some journalists used to gain access to the voicemail accounts of celebrities and public figures.
In the documentary, the 39-year-old said he would not bring his wife back to the UK over fears for safety.
He said: “Look at what has happened in the last four years to me, my wife and my family, right?
“It’s still dangerous. And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read... and whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.
“And these are things that are a genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020. The couple no longer has an official UK residence.
Key Points
- Prince Harry fears for Meghan's safety after bad press
- Prince Harry claims tabloid battle was central piece to royal rift
- ‘Intimate’ letters from Princess Diana up for auction
- King Charles to replace helicopters after £1m flight costs
Prince William refuses to disclose how much tax he pays
13:30
Emma Guinness
Prince William has come under fire for refusing to reveal how much tax he pays on his vast private property portfolio.
He reportedly recieved £23 million in the past tax year from the Duchy of Cornwall.
But in a marked change from his father, who he interited the estate from, William, 42, has chosen not to dislcose how much tax he is paying on its earnings.
It has been claimed that despite the non-disclosure, William pays an “appropriate” amount of tax.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said this decision could become “unsustainable” in the current economic climate.
“The absence of answers to basic questions could prove unsustainable in the years ahead,” he wrote on Twitter/X.
King Charles installs solar panels at Windsor Castle
12:30
Emma Guinness
King Charles has installed solar panels at Windsor Castle in a bid to be more environmentally friendly, palace officials said.
The panels replaced the led roof that had previously existed on the Lord Chamberlain’s Upper Store and there are plans to add more in the future.
This is not the only move the royal family are making in this area and their Bentley limousine cars are also being converted to run on biofuel.
GoFundMe launched to support Thomas Markle
11:30
Emma Guinness
A GoFundMe has been launched to support Meghan Markle’s estranged father after his 80th birthday wish to meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, went unanswered.
Created by Lady Colin Campbell, the fundraiser praises Thomas Markle’s “kindness and generosity” and said it aims to show him “that there are still people in the world with good hearts, good values, and good intentions” after he was “rejected and abandoned” by his daughter.
Thomas, who turned 80, this month, became estranged from Meghan around the time of her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry after it emerged that he had taken part in a staged paparazzi photoshoot.
The fundraiser was created with a £10,000 target, but it has already exceeded this amount and raised over £39,000 from over 2,000 donors.
“My father is gone from this earth and I wish I could give him a hug,” wrote one supporter.
“I want to give it to you and just know that you have daughters around the world now. You are loved.”
Meghan Markle ‘likely’ to miss UK Invictus Games
10:20
Emma Guinness
Following the news that Prince Harry’s Invictus Games will be held in Brimingham, it has been speculated that Meghan Markle will miss the 2027 event.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, has not spent any time in the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry, 39, recently opened up about his ongoing security concerns in the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial and admitted that press intrusion into his life has made him fear for Meghan’s safety to the point where he does not believe she is safe in the UK.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: “Unless this is resolved and Harry gets the guaranteed police protection he feels he needs for himself and his family - a demand that I have some sympathy with, I can’t see him bringing Meghan and the children here.
“The security issue always provides a credible excuse for Meghan and the children not coming to the UK.
“Personally, I don’t think she ever wants to come here again, but I think she will be acutely aware that her absence at something like the Invictus Games – her husband’s greatest achievement – would signal more than a concern about safety.”
Prince Harry stumbles over health of Princess Kate and King Charles
06:58
Barney Davis
The Duke of Sussex appeared to be flustered when he was asked about Princess Kate and King Charles’s cancer battles in a new documentary.
In Tabloids on Trial, ITV New’s Rebecca Barry asked the prince: “Both your father and your sister-in-law have been unwell.
“It’s a reminder, I guess, to all of us that life is precious.
“Does it ever just make you think, ‘This is not worth it. Life is just too short for these legal battles’?”
Prince Harry, appeared shocked by the question, he replied: “Erm, I don’t think the legal, the continuation of these legal battles is the sort of, I...
“The two things are completely separate.
“Erm, you know, my father and my sister-in-law, and me, you know, following through on these legal battles are two completely different things.”
Harry wants entire Royal family to join his battle with the press
06:00
Barney Davis
In the Tabloids on Trial documentary, Prince Harry was asked whether his determination to fight the tabloids destroyed the relationship with his family.
Harry replied: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it.
“But, you know, it’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.”
He stressed that those in a public role should do things for the greater good.
“I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good,” he said.
“But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons.”
Prince Harry speaks on tabloid court battle
05:00
Barney Davis
Prince Harry is set to break his silence on his phone-hacking court battle with the tabloid press tonight, as he delves into particular headlines about his personal life.
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 in an ITV documentary airing tonight: “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.”
Mirror group apologise for ‘historical wrongdoing'
04:00
Barney Davis
MGN said in response to the Tabloids on Trial programme: “We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.
“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation.”
Harry has also brought legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations it carried out or commissioned unlawful information-gathering, which are all denied by the newspaper group.
They have accused Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.
The legal claims are in the preliminary stages.
Paul Gascoigne sobs as he recalls emotional distress of phone hacking scandal
03:00
Barney Davis
Prince Harry says mother Diana was ‘absolutely right’ in phone hacking suspicions
01:00
Barney Davis
Prince Harry reveals Queen supported his battle with the press
Thursday 25 July 2024 23:45
Barney Davis
Prince Harry revealed he had many conversations with his grandmother the Queen about his battle with the press.
He told ITV: “We had many conversations before she passed. This is very much something she supported.
Pointing to the sky, he said: “She knew how much this meant to me and she’s very much up there going ‘See this through to the end’ without question.”
Prince Harry fears for Meghan's safety after bad press
Thursday 25 July 2024 22:14
Barney Davis
Prince Harry claims he “will not” bring his wife, Meghan Markle, back to the UK over fears for both their safety. He has told an ITV documentary “it only takes one lone actor [who reads negative stories about Harry and Meghan in the press] with a knife or acid.”
On if he’s seeking attention through the court battles, he said: “There is more than enough attention on me and my wife anyway.
“There was... they pushed me too far. It got to a point where you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.
“They pushed me too far. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
“I don’t think there’s anybody else in the world that is better suited and placed to be able to see this through than myself.
“It’s still dangerous. And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read...
“And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.
“And these are things that are a genuine concern for me.
“It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Meghan has not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.
Harry speaks about how his mother Princess Diana was painted as paranoid by press
Thursday 25 July 2024 22:06
Barney Davis
As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case, Prince Harry opened up about his mother’s own experience 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 about what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”
Prince Harry speaks about the ‘harrassment' from paparazzi
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:29
Barney Davis
The Duke Of Sussex was shown video footage of him immersed in flashing cameras as he tried to get into a car after a night out.
He said: “In those days the paparazzi was something else.
“I remember that night out I remember being hit over the head by cameras.
“My security did everything to keep them away.”
He added: “It feels horrible then and it feels horrible now.”
Prince Harry feels vindicated by legal victory against tabloids
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:23
Barney Davis
Harry won a legal battle against the tabloid press last December as it was ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking.
Prince Harry told ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial: “Yeh I did feel vindicated. Phone hacking has been going on for a long time. The defendants claim for it all to be historical.
“Well, there’s a huge amount coming to light now that the British public especially simply have no idea about.”
He added on their tactics: “Well there’s voicemail interception, blagging of flight records.
“It was always referred to as phone hacking but it’s the unlawful information gathering, and use of private investigators that was really the secondary part to this.”
Prince Harry says he is seeking justice for everybody in ITV phone hacking documentary
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:12
Barney Davis
Prince Harry says he is seeking justice for everybody as he speaks to ITV about the phone hacking legal battle for the first time.
He said: “This is a David v Goliath situation.
“The Davids are the claimants and the Goliath is this vast media enterprise.
“I’m trying to get justice for everybody.“I don’t think there is anybody better in the world to see this through than myself.
Looking back at old paper headlines accusing him of smoking weed as a teenager, he said: “Being that young and being under constant surveillance and distrusting everyone around you. It sucks.”
Full story: Princess Diana’s ‘intimate’ letters to former housekeeper up for auction
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:00
Athena Stavrou
More than a dozen personal letters and cards from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper are set to go under the hammer.
Diana sent the previously unseen notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandringham Estate where Diana spent her childhood years.
Collie witnessed the births of four Spencer children, including Diana, and remained close with the family until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.
The collection, being auctioned at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, reveals a unique insight into crucial stages at the princess’ royal life.
Read the full story below:
Royal pictures of the week so far
Thursday 25 July 2024 19:00
Athena Stavrou
Diana ‘wished people could see love letters’ sent from Charles during happy times, biographer claims
Thursday 25 July 2024 14:20
Athena Stavrou
A royal biographer has claimed Princess Diana wished people could have seen love letters she received from Charles during happier times.
Ingrid Seward made the comments at an Oldie magazine lunch, according to The Times, where she said: “Diana told me very shortly before she died that she wished people could see the love letters that she had from Charles.”
She added: “She really wanted people to know that she loved Charles and he loved her. And I always remembered that. And she wanted the boys [Prince William and Prince Harry] to know that,” she continued.
Recap: Monarchy’s income to rise by £45m due to Crown Estate profits
Thursday 25 July 2024 13:50
Athena Stavrou
The monarchy is to receive a boost of more than £45 million, with a 53% jump in its official annual income to more than £130 million.
Soaring profits from the Crown Estate to £1.1 billion mean the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, will increase from £86.3 million in 2024/2025 to £132 million in 2025/2026.
Officials said the increase will be used to help fund the final stages of the 10-year £369 million renovation of Buckingham Palace, keeping it on time and budget.
The boost will be reviewed through legislation in 2026/27 to keep funding of the royal family at a “more appropriate” level, a Palace spokesman said.
Royal travel costs soar by £300,000 despite fewer engagements, figures show
Thursday 25 July 2024 13:20
Athena Stavrou
Royal travel costs soared by hundreds of thousands of pounds last year despite fewer engagements due to the illness of the King and Princess of Wales, figures show.
The Sovereign Grant report revealed travel expenditure went up by £300,000 at a bill of £4.2m despite there being around 400 fewer visits and less foreign travel than the year before.
My colleague Alexander Butler has the full story:
King’s annual private income from Duchy of Lancaster hits £27m
Thursday 25 July 2024 12:50
Athena Stavrou
The King’s annual income from his private Duchy of Lancaster estate was more than £27 million, accounts have shown.
Charles received the money from the Duchy, an ancient portfolio of land, property and assets which is held in trust for the sovereign, in his first full financial year as monarch.
This private Duchy income is separate from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant and has been the personal estate of the reigning monarch since 1399.
It spans more than 18,000 hectares of land in England and Wales and comprises commercial, agricultural and residential properties mostly in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lincolnshire.
It gives the monarch a source of income for funding his private activities and some official expenditure, but the breakdown of how the King spends the private money – which is independent of the Government – is not released.
Watch: Prince Harry calls upon royal family to join him in tabloid fight
Thursday 25 July 2024 12:23
Athena Stavrou
The Duke of Sussex called upon his family to join him in his fight against the tabloid press in an explosive new documentary.
Prince Harry said his determination to fight his court case had been a “central piece” in the rift between him and his family.
Harry spoke to ITV for a documentary exploring the egregious and illegal methods some journalists used to gain access to the voicemail accounts of celebrities and public figures.
“This is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family,” he said.
Harry won his privacy case against Mirror Group newspapers last December after a High Court judge ruled his own phone had been hacked.
Prince Harry set to join world’s most expensive wedding party in the UK
Thursday 25 July 2024 11:52
Athena Stavrou
Prince Harry and Boris Johnson are among guests pencilled in for the UK-leg of the $600m wedding for the son of Asia’s richest man.
A glittering array of A-list celebrities and politicians descended on Mumbai last weekend as the Ambani-Merchant wedding reached its crescendo with three days of lavish celebrations.
The happy couple tied the knot on the weekend of July 12 but celebrations are expected to continue for months to come – with festivities resuming at the historic Stoke Park Country Club near Slough.
Some guests who attended the Mumbai wedding such as Boris and Carrie Johnson, who were reportedly paid to attend, may make a second appearance at the hotel. The pair could be joined by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are rumoured to be among the UK guest list.
William removes Camilla’s sister from royal payroll
Thursday 25 July 2024 11:18
Athena Stavrou
Prince William has removed Queen Camilla’s sister from the Duchy of Cornwall payroll after taking over from his father.
Annabel Elliot, 75, served as Charles and Camilla’s chief designer of their estates following their 2005 marriage and has been paid several hundred thousands of pounds since.
The 2023 annual report detailed how the Duchy paid Mrs Elliot over £30,000 for her work “in the normal course of business and on an arm’s length basis”.
However, the King’s sister-in-law is noticeably absent from 2024’s report, now that William has taken over the estates.
Harry to speak about Princess Diana as he opens up about phone hacking case
Thursday 25 July 2024 10:15
Athena Stavrou
As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case in an explosive documentary tonight, Prince Harry will open 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.”
Pictured: Princess Anne meets Team GB athletes on first foreign trip since horse accident
Thursday 25 July 2024 09:45
Athena Stavrou
‘Intimate’ letters from Princess Diana to go under the hammer
Thursday 25 July 2024 09:06
Athena Stavrou
More than a dozen “intimate” letters and cards from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper are coming to auction later this month.
Diana sent the personal notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandrigham Estate.
Collie witnessed the births of four Spencer children, including Diana, and remained close with the family until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.
The collection, being auctioned at Sworders, reveals snippets of the princess’ internal thoughts at crucial stages of her life. The correspondence spans from before her marriage to Charles, through to the early years of Prince William and Harry’s lives.
One notable item is a double-sided letter written on Buckingham Palace notepaper, dated 8 July 8 1981, just three weeks before the Royal Wedding.
In it, Lady Diana Spencer remarks: “everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations ... the bride to be has remained quite calm!” This letter, in its original envelope addressed in Diana’s hand, is expected to fetch £800-1,200.
Anne meets Team GB athletes in first foreign trip since horse accident
Thursday 25 July 2024 08:26
Athena Stavrou
The Princess Royal has met Team GB athletes in Paris in her first official overseas trip since being hit by a horse.
Anne spoke to Olympians Tom Daley and Helen Glover as they were named as the team’s joint flag bearers ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony.
She was the first member of the royal family to compete in the Olympic Games when she rode the late Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
The visit by the 73-year-old is the latest in her phased return to public duties after being rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol on June 23, staying for five nights after being injured while out walking on her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire.
Anne’s medical team said her concussion and head injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs but her concussion meant precise details of how the incident came about are not clear.
Prince William refuses to reveal tax bill - full story
Thursday 25 July 2024 07:00
Athena Stavrou
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.
My colleague Alexander Butler has the full report:
Charles and Kate receive 27,000 get well soon cards
Thursday 25 July 2024 06:00
Athena Stavrou
King Charles and the Princess of Wales were sent a huge volume of get-well-soon cards after they were diagnosed with cancer, the palace has revealed.
It has been a difficult year for the royal family, with both Charles and Kate having to step back from public-facing duties as they continue treatment.
The pair supported each other through the difficult news but have also had plenty of support from outside palace walls, with the palace having received a staggering 27,000 written messages wishing them good health.
Charles was pictured reading some of the 27,000 cards in June and was reportedly “brought to tears” by the messages sent from across the country.
Many people were said to have written to tell him of their own experiences of the disease or offering advice. One person told him: “Chin up, chest out, remain positive and don’t let it get you down. Trust me, it works, but the main thing is family.”
In the annual Sovereign Grant report, released on Wednesday, the palace said support teams “adapted swiftly” to the changing health circumstances in ways which included dealing with far more mail.
Royal travel costs soar by £300,000 despite fewer engagements, figures show
Thursday 25 July 2024 05:00
Athena Stavrou
Royal travel costs soared by hundreds of thousands of pounds last year despite fewer engagements due to the illness of the King and Princess of Wales, figures show.
The Sovereign Grant report revealed travel expenditure went up by £300,000 at a bill of £4.2m despite there being around 400 fewer visits and less foreign travel than the year before.
My colleague Alexander Butler has the full story:
Recap: Invictus announcement comes at critical time for the games
Thursday 25 July 2024 04:00
Athena Stavrou
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.
Prince Harry blames phone hacking case for royal rift
Thursday 25 July 2024 03:00
Athena Stavrou
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.”
What were the most expensive royal trips in the last year?
Thursday 25 July 2024 01:00
Athena Stavrou
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.
Solar panel castles and biofuel Bentleys: King Charles’s royal palaces go green in his first year as monarch
Thursday 25 July 2024 00:01
Athena Stavrou
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 t