Prince Harry mentioned sharing “movie snuggles” with a tabloid journalist, called her “sugar” and signed off one message “mwah xxx” in a series of Facebook messages sent before he met Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex sued Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail titles, on historic allegations of phone hacking, wire tapping and other illegal practices and the messages, which date back to 2011, emerged in evidence at the High Court case, in London.
Many of Harry’s allegations are based on the argument that material published in the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday could not have been acquired through any legal means. That has prompted journalists at those newspapers to counter that they had sources within his friendship group.
Among them is former Mail on Sunday deputy diary editor and now editor at large Charlotte Griffiths, who has recovered Facebook messages shared between the pair that appear to show they were close. Harry maintains he did not know she was a journalist, which she disputes.
In relation to one party Harry missed, he wrote: “Just wish I could have been there…especially now that you’re there!”
Meanwhile, Griffiths referred to him as Mr Mischief and wrote in one message: “What a fun weekend of naughtiness–can’t we all get up to no good in the countryside every weeked damn it?? Smooches, CG String. Xxx.”
Why It Matters
The messages may cause problems for some claims in Harry’s case since some of his allegations lack a “smoking gun.” Instead, he identifies private information about himself published in the Mail titles and payments to private investigators while arguing phone hacking, for example, must have been used.
The Facebook messages between Harry and Griffiths appear to show she was in fact a fully fledged member of his inner circle, at one relevant stage of his life at least. Of course, it will be for the judge to decide the facts.
Additionally, Prince Harry has traditionally taken a hard line on his family dealing with and interacting with news organizations he has accused of invading his privacy.
Harry argues he broke off contact with Griffiths once he realized she was a journalist. He says none of his friends knew. Interestingly, he does appear to ask her about work generally, without mentioning journalism, in some of the messages.
Prince Harry’s Facebook Messages to Charlotte Griffiths
Griffiths wrote in her own witness statement: “We were all the same age and going to the same places in London at night so knew each other socially for a time.
“My friends–including the group that introduced me to Prince Harry–knew that I was a journalist and had gone to work for Katie Nicholl at the Mail on Sunday.”
Griffiths told the court Harry sent her his phone number over Facebook during a night in 2011, when he was hosting a party at the home of a mutual friend, Arthur Landon. At the time, she was deputy diary editor of the Mail on Sunday, working for Katie Nicholl, who was diary editor.
“It’s H,” Harry wrote in one message published by the Daily Telegraph, “incase u were confused by name and picture!!! X.”
Griffiths replied: “Hello Mr Mischief… Did you get home OK slash did you actually find your car and did you beat Arthur down the motorway more importantly?!
“What a fun weekend of naughtiness—can’t we all get up to no good in the countryside every weeked damn it?? Smooches, CG String. Xxx”
Harry said it was “without doubt the best of those weekends I’ve been to” and added: “What a crowd. Never laughed so much in 24hrs!! Mr mischief? How do I get that title…l was surely no worse than anyone else!!”
“Serious withdraw symptoms still,” he continued, saying he had to “make polite conversation with strange people at a dinner last night.begging them for money for charity! Really fun.not.”
“Hope work isn’t too dull wherever u are?!” Harry wrote.
Griffiths talked about wanting a reunion and mentioned group banter “on the group email front!” according to the Telegraph.
The next month, on January 22, 2012, Griffiths messaged Harry calling him “H Bomb” and writing: “We missed you so much at Arthur’s last week.”
“I WISH I was there sugar but unfortunately stuck in Cornwall doing Army stuff :(” Harry replied. “Otherwise I would have been there playing and then drinking u under the table,obvi!!
“Just wish I could have been there…especially now that you’re there! Dou ever work?!!…. Hope you’re really well Griff…Miss our movie snuggles!! I’m off comms all week incase u think I’m being rude,keep me posted xxx xxx xxx.”
The messages appear to have been sent after the end of Harry’s relationship with Chelsy Davy and before his relationship with Cressida Bonas.
Prince Harry’s Speech on Privacy
The Facebook messages somewhat overshadowed a speech Harry gave at the IAPP Global Summit, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Harry said: “You may know that I’ve spent the past seven years in litigation against three media organizations in the U.K. over their systemic and unlawful invasions of privacy, as well as the cover up of it, dating back to the early 2000s.
“The worst examples of an industry that too often behaves as though it owns people’s privacy—and feels it gets to decide what constitutes the public interest. Unfortunately, I have come to learn that this exploitation has become normalized.
“That breaches of privacy have morphed into commercial tactics across industries, notably the tech industry with innovations like social media platforms and advances in artificial intelligence. As you can perhaps tell, I have nothing to gain from taking on powerful institutions.
“In many ways, it’s come at a personal and reputational cost for me, my wife, and our kids…. But is it worth it? Absolutely. Because this is about more than one individual—it’s about the systems that shape and influence all of our lives.”
What Happens Next
The trial has ended and Judge Matthew Nicklin deferred judgment, with his decision expected to take months not weeks.
