Piers Morgan issues response on Prince Harry phone hacking after court ruling
Piers Morgan has said he “never hacked a phone or told anyone else to hack a phone”, after a High Court judge accepted evidence that he knew journalists were involved in the practice.
The comments from Mr Morgan, who was Daily Mirror editor between 1995 and 2004, came after a ruling over phone-hacking claims brought by Prince Harry against publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
He insisted he had “zero knowledge” of the single article published in his time as editor of the Daily Mirror which may have involved illegal information gathering.
Speaking outside his home in London on Friday, the former editor turned broadcaster said: "There is just one article relating to the prince [Harry] published in The Daily Mirror during my entire nine-year tenure as editor that he [High Court judge] thinks may have involved some unlawful information gathering.
"To be clear, I had then and still have zero knowledge of how that particular story was gathered."
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Hitting out at Prince Harry, he added: "I want to say this: Prince Harry's outrage at media intrusion into the private lives of the royal family is only matched by his own ruthless, greedy and hypocritical enthusiasm for doing it himself."
He also accused the Duke of Sussex of being hypocritical for pursuing a case against the "appalling behaviour of the press", when he has "repeatedly trashed his family in public for hundreds of millions of dollars".
Piers Morgan hit out at Prince Harry (AFP via Getty Images)
Piers Morgan said he 'never hacked a phone or told anyone else to hack a phone' (PA)"It's hard to imagine, frankly, more appalling behaviour than that," he said. "He demands accountability from the press, but refuses to accept any for himself - for smearing the royal family, his own family, as a bunch of callous racists without producing a shred of proof to support those disgraceful claims. He also says he's on a mission to reform the media when it's become clear his real mission, along with his wife, is to destroy the British monarchy," he added.
Mr Morgan concluded by stating he vowed to do whatever he could to stop the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from "destroying the British monarchy".
Earlier today, a judge at London's High Court ruled that Mr Morgan knew about phone hacking in a lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and others. The judge ruled that unlawful information-gathering was “widespread” at MGN titles The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Mirror and The People from 1996 onwards, and phone hacking became “habitual” from 1998.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Fancourt said he accepted the evidence of royal biographer Omid Scobie, who told the trial earlier this year that Mr Morgan was informed about a use of phone hacking.
He said Mr Scobie was “pressed hard about the likely veracity of these accounts” while giving evidence, adding: “I found Mr Scobie to be a straightforward and reliable witness, and I accept what he said about Mr Morgan’s involvement in the Minogue/Gooding story. No evidence was called by MGN to contradict it.”
Following the ruling, an MGN spokesperson said: “We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.
“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”
Piers Morgan statement in full
“Today a judge in the High Court in London has ruled on various cases including Prince Harry’s claim against Mirror Group Newspapers, where I was an editor until 2004.
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“The judgment finds there is just one article relating to the prince published in The Daily Mirror during my entire nine-year tenure as editor that he thinks may have involved some unlawful information gathering.
“To be clear I had then, and still have, zero knowledge of how that particular story was gathered. All his other claims against the Daily Mirror under my leadership were rejected.
“With regard to the judge’s other references to me in his judgment, I also want to reiterate, as I’ve consistently said for many years now, I’ve never hacked a phone or told anybody else to hack a phone. And nobody has produced any actual evidence to prove that I did.
“I wasn’t called as a witness – this is important for people to know this – by either side in the case, nor was I asked to provide any statement.
“I would have very happily agreed to do either or both of those things had I been asked. Nor did I have a single conversation with any of the Mirror Group lawyers throughout the entire legal process.
“So I wasn’t able to respond to the many false allegations that were spewed about me in court by old foes of mine with an axe to grind, most of which, inexplicably, were not even challenged in my absence by the Mirror Group counsel.
“But I note the judge appears to have believed the evidence of Omid Scobie, who lied about me in his new book, and he lied about me in court, and the whole world now knows him to be a deluded fantasist.
“And he believed the evidence of Alastair Campbell, another proven liar who spun this country into an illegal war.
“Finally, I want to say this: Prince Harry’s outrage at media intrusion into the private lives of the royal family is only matched by his own ruthless, greedy, and hypocritical enthusiasm for doing it himself.
“He talked today about the appalling behaviour of the press but this is a guy who’s repeatedly trashed his family in public for hundreds of millions of dollars, even as two of its most senior and respected members were dying – his grandparents. It’s hard to imagine, frankly, more appalling behaviour than that.
“As for him saying this is a good day for truth, the duke has been repeatedly exposed in recent years as someone who wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him around his California-tanned face.
“He demands accountability for the press but refuses to accept any for himself for smearing the royal family, his own family, as a bunch of callous racists without producing a shred of proof to support those disgraceful claims.
“He also says he’s on a mission to reform the media, when it’s become clear his real mission, along with his wife, is to destroy the British monarchy.
“And I will continue to do whatever I can to stop them. Merry Christmas.”
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