No matter how trial goes, we are doomed to hear more about Harry and Meghan for years | Adam Boulton
It is difficult not to feel sorry for Prince Harry when he talks about the “devastating impact” he believes years of intense press coverage have had on him and Meghan.
As he acknowledges in his written statement to the court case he has brought against Mirror Group Newspapers, he was caught up in a vicious circle in which he became the flawed person the tabloids were writing about.
He itemises the “stereotypes that they wanted to pin” on him to sell “as many newspapers as possible”, especially as the “spare” to the heir.
As it happened: Prince Harry’s second day in court
He said he was either “playboy prince, the failure, the dropout, the thicko, the cheat, the underage drinker, the irresponsible drug taker” and blamed them for his misbehaviour: “I thought that if they are printing this rubbish about me and people are believing it, I may as well ‘do the crime’, so to speak. It was a downward spiral…”
There is something climactic about Harry‘s lawsuits against the tabloid press over old grudges and hurts. As well as the case against the Mirror group, he has also launched suits against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers and Lord Rothermere’s Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
It is a turning point. He is now 38 years old, a father of two and based in California with his American wife, a former TV actress after severing ties with the Royal Family.
Harry must now decide what he wants to do with the rest of his life and how the couple plan to go on funding their lifestyle, especially as the prince is no longer in receipt of funds from the UK taxpayer or, automatically, from his father King Charles.
Much will depend on how the current court trials turn out. If the judge rules in Harry’s favour in the Mirror case, it will likely be a massive vindication for the prince. The Mirror have already paid out £100m in settlement of other hacking cases.
In not agreeing to a deal and taking the expensive risk of going to court, Harry is championing hundreds who believe they were victims of illegal intrusion by the papers. If victorious, he is likely to be awarded millions in damages and coverage of his considerable legal costs. He will feel emboldened to pursue the private actions against the other media groups.
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What was Harry asked on day two?
In nine hours of giving evidence, however, Prince Harry appeared to struggle in producing specific news stories which could only have been acquired by illegal activity.
Under cross-examination, he conceded as much to MGN’s barrister Andrew Green KC. Although he thinks hacking is the most obvious explanation for the reports, a verdict of “Not Proven” is not an option at the Old Bailey, making a prediction of the ruling difficult.
If the ruling goes against him, the environment at home is only likely to get more hostile for Harry in the land of his birth. The first senior royal to go to trial for 130 years, he pinned a fresh target on his back by telling the court: “Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.”
Meanwhile, on its front page the Daily Mail blared: “If Harry carries on his facile assault on our elected government, Charles must banish him to private life.”
Such banishment is impossible – King Charles has no such power. Harry and Meghan have established themselves independently in the United States and are earning their own money by trading on who they are.
Read more:
How Prince Harry left visibly emotional by day of tense exchanges about ex-girlfriends
Ex-Mirror journalist denies ‘closing her eyes’ to alleged unlawful activities
Who is Jane Kerr? Former Mirror royal editor giving evidence
What’s next for Harry and Meghan?
There is no chance that Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lilibet will come back together to live in the UK. The couple’s chances of returning to the royal fold, even if they wanted to, are zero. What they have to sell is themselves.
Sources close to Harry – precisely the sort of anonymous attribution he complains of in negative stories about him – have vouched that the couple now plan to move away from self-exposing media activity and turn towards producing material instead.
Harry has reportedly shelved plans for a second volume of his autobiography. He donated nearly £2m of his earnings to charity: Sentebale, the couple’s foundation for children in southern Africa, and Wellchild, the UK charity for sick children. The film and television rights to Spare have not yet been sold. If there are dramatisations of Harry’s account of his life, they would be bound to reopen wounds.
Harry and Meghan have registered Archewell, as what Americans call “their content creation label”. They have multimillion-dollar deals with Spotify for podcasts and Netflix for TV content. Their documentary about themselves garnered 81.5 million views. Content not featuring them has so far been scant.
Much of Harry and Meghan’s future public activities are set to be around Archewell’s charitable arm. The Archewell Foundation, which raised $13m (£10m) last year from donors, has so far dispensed only £3m to causes such as COVID vaccines and Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
Other donations include £10,000 to get a novel, A Colourful View From The Top, into the library of every secondary school in Britain. The book features inspirational stories about successful people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The “key pillars” for the foundation’s activity are “building a better online world, restoring trust in information, and uplifting communities”. Given the aims of that second pillar, there must be a question whether the Foundation will end up bearing some of the costs of Harry’s crusade against the British tabloids.
It appears that it grates with Harry that he cannot escape how he was born. It is also what defines him, whether in or out of the working Royal Family. It may be a partnership forged in Hell for him, but media attention maintains his high profile, which is how he makes a living.
Harry has already said it will be an “injustice” if he loses his attacks on the tabloids. That would only fire up his sense of grievance. Whether we feel sorry for them or not, we are doomed to go on hearing more about Harry and Meghan for years to come.
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
Read more from Sky News:
Is the UK ready for a ‘Trump-fest’?
Elton and Jagger at royal banquet
King and Trump won’t hold private meeting
This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
Read more:
Reeves won’t rule out tax rises
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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