Prince Harry has taken a swipe at his brother Prince William’s view on their late mother, Princess Diana, in a new interview.
The Duke of Sussex has been suing the British press over allegations of phone hacking, and he has given an interview in a new documentary.
Harry was responding to a question from journalist Rebecca Barry about phone hacking resulting in paranoia, but his remark will likely be taken in the context of a past statement by Prince William, who implied the late Princess of Wales suffered from “paranoia”.
The duke said in the documentary, Tabloids on Trial: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because, yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid.
“Same with my mother. There’s evidence to suggest she was being hacked in the mid-90s. Probably one of the first people to be hacked.”
He continued to tell ITV: “And yet still today the press, the tabloid press, very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid but she wasn’t paranoid.
“She was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”
It has never been proven that Diana was hacked, despite Harry claiming so in his lawsuits against British tabloids.
Prince William previously criticised the BBC for their handling of the 1995 Panorama interview
PA
Allegations that Mirror Group Newspapers hacked her phone were dismissed by the judge, despite him winning other aspects of the case against the company in 2023.
The Prince of Wales spoke out about his mother’s mental health in May 2021 after a BBC internal investigation found she had been tricked into giving her bombshell 1995 interview to journalist Martin Bashir.
The journalist was found to have falsified financial papers that implied her staff were in the pay of the media and intelligence services.
In 2021, William said: “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said.
The Duke of Sussex will feature in an ITV documentary titled Tabloids on Trial which will air on Thursday evening
ITV
“The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.
“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.
“But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.”
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The prince added: “She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.
“It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again.
“It effectively established a false narrative, which for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.”
