Jane Kerr wrote 10 of the articles cited by Prince Harry in his written witness statement. Kerr held various roles at the Daily Mirror from 1991-2011, including working as a royal reporter.
In his first day of cross-examination, the Duke of Sussex claimed that many of the articles Kerr wrote during this period – detailing matters ranging from Harry’s love life to his alleged drug taking – were the product of illegal information gathering or phone hacking.
One of Tuesday’s exchanges centered on an article Kerr wrote for the Mirror in November 2000, with the headline “Snap. Harry Breaks Thumb Like William.” The article reported that Harry had chipped a bone in his thumb, according to his written evidence.
The duke claimed that “the level of detail” in this piece was “surprising” – as was “the specific comment made by the Defendant’s journalists that I had been told by doctors not to play football for a ‘few weeks.’”
“This isn’t attributed to a Palace spokesperson, which seems odd although any comments from the Palace would have been strictly ‘need to know,’” Harry said in his written evidence.
However, during the cross examination on Tuesday, barrister Andrew Green pointed the prince to a public statement made by a Palace spokesperson, before it was reported in the Mirror.
The spokesperson, addressing the news of Harry’s injury, told reporters that he was “in good spirits,” but “frustrated that he can’t play sport” for a while, according to Green.
Green asked Harry if he maintained that this article “is the result of phone hacking or unlawful information gathering.” Harry said he maintains it is the result of “both.”
When asked whom he thought had engaged in these sorts of activities, Harry said: “I believe it was either probably [the reporter, Jane Kerr] herself or she got someone else to do the dirty work for her.”
“Whose phone do you think was hacked?” Green asked Harry. The prince initially said he was unsure, then suggested it could have been the doctor’s phone.
“Are we not, Prince Harry, in the realms of total speculation?” Green asked.
Harry replied: “I don’t believe so.”
The exchange typified most of the articles discussed during Harry’s cross-examination.
Jane Kerr is expected to be cross-examined by David Sherborne, Harry’s lawyer, this afternoon.
