Emotional Prince Harry Testifies U.K. Tabloids Make Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’

On Wednesday, Prince Harry testified in London's High Court for nearly two hours in his U.K. tabloids trial.

As Harry wrapped up with his evidence, he turned toward the judge to speak about the toll that tabloid gossip has had on his family. 

According to People magazine, Harry said, "By standing up here and taking a stand against them, this has continued to come after me." 

While his voice cracked with emotion, Harry referenced his wife Meghan Markle, saying, "And they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord.”

In his witness statement to the court, Harry acknowledged his “uneasy relationship" with the press after his mother Princess Diana's death, but he asserted that he was "conditioned to accept it." 

The Duke of Sussex noted that all changed when he met Meghan.

He stressed, "However, in late 2016, when my relationship with Meghan, my now wife, became public, I started to become increasingly troubled by the approach of not taking action against the press in the wake of vicious persistent attacks on, harassment of, and intrusive, sometimes racist, articles concerning Meghan. The situation got worse when she became pregnant and after our son, Archie, was born."

Harry’s witness statement also included mention of his brother Prince William.

Prince Willam was named as one of Harry’s associates that he was in “regular contact” with while struggling with the tabloids’ intrusion into his personal life.

He said, “Due to his position, the press have always been very interested in him. As brothers, we naturally discussed personal aspects of our lives as we trusted each other with the highly sensitive information we shared about our private, family and professional lives.”

Harry also opened up about how the media frenzy has gotten “worse” since this legal fight became public. He said, “It’s fundamentally wrong to put all of us through all of this again. What’s required is an apology and some accountability. It’s a horrible experience.”

Following Harry’s lengthy time on the stand, his rep said, “Today’s cross-examination was revealing in its weakness: assertive in tone, but collapsing immediately under scrutiny from Prince Harry. Associated couldn’t wait to get him off the stand, questioning him for just two hours and avoiding 10 of his 14 articles entirely.”

Harry and other high-profile figures including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley are suing Associated Newspapers for alleged unlawful information gathering like phone hacking from 1993-2011.