Prince Harry Arrives In Court, Becomes First British Royal Since 19th Century To Give Evidence In Trial
Prince Harry on Tuesday morning arrived at the High Court for his phone hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror which made him become the first royal to give evidence in a court for more than 130 years.
He was earlier rebuked by the judge for missing first day of his own hacking case because of Lilibet’s birthday.
On Monday, the Duke of Sussex was not in the court room for the first day as according to his lawyer, he was travelling overnight from Los Angeles to London, after celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday at home in California with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry will be giving evidence for the first time today, and becomes the first senior member of the Royal Family in modern times to be cross-examined in court, BBC reports.
The Duke of Sussex was said to have been jetted into the UK from California on Monday and looked relaxed and even smiled as he entered the High Court’s modern annexe – the Rolls Building – saying ‘good morning’ to the waiting press.
On Monday, he was criticised by one of Britain’s top judges and accused of wasting court time after missing the first day of his historic case – to celebrate his daughter Lilibet’s birthday in Montecito before flying to Britain.
However, on Tuesday morning Harry enters the witness box to become the first senior royal to give evidence in 132 years, swearing an oath to tell the truth beneath his father the Sovereign’s coat of arms, along three others who are suing the Mirror group claiming the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People newspaper hacked their phones or conducted other illegal activity, which is denied.
According to the report, in 1891 Edward VII gave evidence when a slander action was brought by a card player accused of cheating at baccarat at a time when gambling was illegal. His appearance in the witness box left Queen Victoria unamused – but it is not known what Harry’s father, King Charles III, thinks about his son’s historic court appearance.
The Duke of Sussex will be in the High Court witness box for two days this week twice as long as he spent when he came for the Coronation. It is not clear if he will see his father or brother this week – or meet his cousin Princess Eugenie’s new son Ernest, who was born last Tuesday.
