Prince Harry blames UK tabloids for royal family falling out

Prince Harry, a longtime crusader against UK media, says their tabloids played a "central" role in fanning the flames between himself and the royal family.

In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Prince Harry says the British tabloids has played a “central” role in his years-long feud between himself and the rest of his royal relatives.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, reflects on his contentious relationship with U.K. media — including the lawsuits he’s pursued against them — in ITV1’s documentary, “Tabloids on Trial,” which also features a sit-down with Hugh Grant, according to the outlet.

“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 did it as a family. I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, that these are the things we should be doing, and for the greater good,” said Harry, who earlier this year dropped a libel lawsuit against the Daily Mail’s publisher. “But I’m doing this for my reasons.”

He also weighed in on the perspective that paranoia plays a role in his tensions with British outlets.

“I think paranoia, it’s a very interesting word, because yes, it could be paranoia. But then when you’re vindicated, it proves that you weren’t being paranoid,” said the “Spare” author, pointing to his mother, Princess Diana.

The prince says the late royal, who was killed in a 1997 car crash as her vehicle was chased by paparazzi in Paris, was “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.”

Asked whether his mother’s suffering inspires his own crusade against the media, Harry said: “There’s all sorts of things that motivate me.”

In December 2023, Harry won his case against the Daily Mirror’s publishers, which a judge determined had engaged in “widespread and habitual” phone-hacking.