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British tabloid The Sun gains the upper hand in Prince Harry‘s lawsuit as a new discovery shows he deliberately destroyed crucial evidence. Attorney Anthony Hudson, representing News Group Newspapers appeared in London’s High Court on Thursday, where he claimed the Duke of Sussex intentionally wiped text messages with J.R. Moehringer, the ghostwriter of his tell-all memoir, Spare.
The hearing was part of the lawsuit filed by Prince Harry and 40 other claimants accusing the tabloid of using unlawful tactics to gather personal information about them. While the trial would officially commence in January 2025, the NGN legal representative is pushing for the prince to present all information related to the case within his reach.
This demand covers information in Harry’s possession or those held by the royal household with clues about his knowledge of the tabloid’s wrong practices before 2013. They include emails, text messages, WhatsApp exchanges, written documents, or other forms of communication within the period relevant to the case.
Prince Harry Accused of Intentionally Destroying Evidence
NGN also sought Prince Harry’s message with J.R Moehringer, which transpired during their working relationship. Harry’s attorney David Sherborne claimed these communications happened via the Signal app, and the chat history was deleted long before the momoir’s release. The attorney explained the need to delete the exchanges to prevent the leak of sensitive or potentially damaging information that could pose a security threat to the Prince.
NGN’s attorney claims this perceived “obfuscation” from Prince Harry’s team forced them to seek the order. They believed Prince Harry intentionally created an obstacle course to keep the potentially helpful evidence out of reach. During the hearing, NGN’s attorney Anthony claimed “It’s shocking and extraordinary that the claimant (Prince Harry) has deliberately destroyed…” the evidence. However, Judge Timothy Fancourt interrupted mid-sentence, clarifying that no one knew what happened to the said evidence, per The Telegraph.
Why the “Withheld” Messages Are Relevant to Harry’s Tabloid Lawsuit
Reacting to the presumptuous claims of destroyed evidence, Prince Harry’s lawyer alleged that NGN’s attorney intentionally used those terms to “get a headline.” He accused the tabloid of engaging in a “fishing expedition” at Prince Harry’s expense.
The attorney, David Sherborne further condemned any suggestion that Prince Harry destroyed or withheld evidence as “the height of hypocrisy.” According to him, NGN was itself, guilty of deleting millions of emails to cover up relevant evidence. Regardless, Justice Timothy Fancourt ruled in NGN’s favor, demanding that Prince Harry conduct a wider search to recover the deleted messages between 2005 and 2023.
The content of these messages could potentially prove whether or not Prince Harry knew he had a claim pertaining to the tabloid’s unlawful behavior before 2013. If indeed Prince Harry knew about a potential claim before the said date, the court could dismiss his lawsuit for coming too late.
