Prince Harry had filed suit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited, along with seven other high-profile plaintiffs.
The Duke of Sussex had accused the publisher of acquiring private information through “illegal” means and gave detailed testimony to the Royal Courts of Justice last month.
When asked why he did not complain about some of the articles at the heart of his claim, Harry replied that “to some extent” he believed the information in the articles came from legitimate sources.
He also thought that “the institution” would not have allowed him to file a complaint anyway.
While Harry’s case is still ongoing, a surprise Jeffery Epstein connection emerged in which the convicted pedophile claimed “the Palace” asked him to take legal action against a newspaper for alleged phone hacking.
In the email dated July 12, 2011, Epstein was receiving legal advice on how he should initiate proceedings against the New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group in New York.
“If you’ve been following the affairs of Rupert Murdoch and News Intl. He closed one of his newspapers in London after he was caught hacking a phone,” the email reads.
“Well, there’s no love lost for him at the palace. They say they have proof that the New York Post Office hacked my phones to reach Prince Andrew.”
He continues: “The palace asked me if I would file suit in New York. a.) I’m not a sympathetic figure, but the girl who accused Andrew is even less credible than Strauss’s maid Kahn. b.) I’m not sure I want the fight. c) I’m not sure you’d be conflicted.”
It’s unclear what exactly is referred to as “the Palace” in the email. It could have been Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or the institution itself.
The email in question comes from the latest tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice. It was sent two days after the News of the World closed after its owners, News International, admitted to pirating their work.
This appears to have a similar tone to that of Prince Harry’s trial, but it is possible that these two events are related. It remains to be seen how things will develop in this matter.
