In a recent ITV interview, Prince Harry said that his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had supported him in his fight against the British tabloids. Photo / Getty Images
In a recent ITV interview, Prince Harry said that his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had supported him in his fight against the British tabloids. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke said his grandmother ‘knew how much this meant’ to him and they had many conversations about his battle with the media.
The Duke of Sussex has insisted that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was fully supportive of his fight against the tabloid press andwas “very much up there” urging him to see it through.
Prince Harry, 39, told an ITV documentary, Tabloids on Trial, that he had often spoken to the late Queen about his crusade against the media.
“We had many conversations before she passed and this is very much something that she supported,” he said.
“She knew how much this meant to me and she’s very much up there saying ‘see this through to the end.’”
The Duke also revealed that he did not feel able to bring his wife, Meghan, back to the UK because he feared a knife or acid attack.
His revelation about his conversations with his grandmother suggests that they were in regular contact during her final years, despite his move abroad and the family rift triggered as they thrashed out the terms of his exit.
Emails disclosed to the High Court last year revealed that in 2018, the late Queen approved a decision to threaten News Group Newspapers (NGN) with legal action, apparently frustrated with the publisher’s lack of response to hacking claims.
Prince Harry attends The Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service at St Paul's Cathedral in May 8 in London, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
But Prince Harry has also alleged in court documents that his grandmother knew about a so-called “secret agreement” between Buckingham Palace and the publisher of The Sun under which the royals agreed not to sue.
The allegation was strongly denied by all sides and rejected as “implausible” by a judge.
David Sherborne, the Duke’s barrister, told the High Court earlier this year that he might have to settle before the case gets to trial due to the “impossible” legal costs.
However, Prince Harry told ITV that he was determined to see it through to the end, insisting that he was the only person who could do so.
“I don’t think there’s anybody else in the world that is better suited to be able to see this than myself,” he said. “I’m trying to get justice for everybody.”
He added: “If I can get to trial, we’re talking over a decade’s worth of evidence that has never been heard. That’s the goal.
“That evidence needs to come to the surface and after that, the police can make their mind up because the public and this country deserve better.”
However, the Duke admitted that it was a “risk” and that it had been a “hard decision” due to the negative attention it had generated.
Prince Harry said he fears bringing Meghan back to the UK over concerns of an acid or knife attack. Photo / Getty Images
He repeated his view that he could never bring his wife, Meghan, back to the UK because of security fears, admitting he was concerned about a knife or an acid attack.
“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read,” he said.
“And whether it’s a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
The Duke said “it would be nice” if the royals had joined forces to take on the media together.
“I believe, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, that these are the things that you should be doing for the greater good,” he added. “But I’m doing this for my reasons.”
