Prince Harry won 15 arguments in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers for getting information in a wrong way for stories about him.
The judge agreed with him on almost half of the 33 stories he used in his claims of phone hacking and other methods.
The High Court discovered that the Mirror newspapers often and regularly used phone hacking.
Prince Harry said it was a really good day for telling the truth and being responsible.
He won £140,600 in money because of what happened to him. His lawyer said outside the court that the decision was good and supportive.
“This situation is not just about hacking. It’s also about a widespread pattern of illegal and terrible behavior, along with attempts to hide the truth and get rid of evidence. The extent of this wrongdoing can only be shown through the legal process,” he said.
“I was told that if you try to kill dragons, you will get hurt. ” Prince Harry said that even though it may be costly, it is important to do whatever is necessary to have a free and honest press.
He also asked the police and prosecutors to look into charging the company and anyone who has broken the law.
The Mirror newspapers – Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and People – have also faced big consequences. It’s estimated that they have already spent £100m on fines and legal fees from past hacking cases.
MrJustice Fancourt said that the Mirror newspapers had regularly and commonly gathered information illegally.
Some of the articles that Prince Harry won were about his relationship with Chelsy Davy and the arguments they had.
Prince Harry has said that people are bothering his personal relationships and he won a case about a story called “Harry’s date with Gladiators star” which was about him going to see TV presenter Caroline Flack.
A spokesperson from Mirror Group Newspapers said they are happy with the court’s decision because it helps the company move on from something that happened a long time ago.
“We are really sorry for what happened in the past, and we have accepted our mistakes. We have also paid the right amount of money to make up for it. ”
The important decision comes after Prince Harry went to court in June. He was the first senior royal in modern times to give a lot of evidence in person.
He was questioned for two days about his claims that the group’s newspapers had published a lot of stories about him, for many years, by hacking into his phone and using other illegal ways to get information.
Mr Justice Fancourt found that Prince Harry had experienced some phone hacking and other dishonest ways of getting information, but it wasn’t a lot.
Prince Harry told the court that someone invaded his privacy and it hurt his relationships with people, like his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and he received a lot of hate.
“He said that the media has lied to me and hidden the bad things for my entire life. ”
The lawyers for the Mirror Group said the claims were greatly exaggerated. They tried to argue that the prince’s evidence didn’t definitively prove that he was hacked even once, but they were not successful.
The prince has been given money as compensation, but he wanted to go to court to show that his phone was hacked and he was treated unfairly. This caused a lot of stress and trouble in his life.
Prince Harry’s success might inspire many others who are thinking about making similar claims.
Two people who brought claims with Prince Harry – Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman – were told they waited too long.
The judge said that the whole newspaper group’s board didn’t know about the phone hacking. But he thinks that the former CEO and legal director knew about it.
MrJustice Fancourt said he believed journalist Omid Scobie’s evidence that Piers Morgan was told about phone hacking involving Kylie Minogue when he was the editor of the Daily Mirror.
Prince Harry is in a legal fight with Mirror Group, as well as with other newspaper companies like Associated Newspapers and News Group Newspapers.
He has been involved in a lot of legal battles and arguments, but this was the most important decision yet, because a judge made a decision after a full trial.