Princess Kate and Prince William were targeted by private investigators working for U.K. tabloid the Daily Mail, Prince Harry’s lawyers told a court.
Harry’s attorneys said “extensive details about Prince William’s 21st birthday party” in June 2003 had been obtained unlawfully in a court filing seen by Newsweek. And Kate’s cell phone number and address details were obtained by another, now notorious private investigator.
Harry is suing the tabloid’s publisher, Associated Newspapers, on allegations that include phone hacking and live wire tapping of calls. William and Kate were referenced in the case on the basis they were “associates” of Harry’s at the time, suggesting his own private information might have been on the line.
The Daily Mail‘s publisher, Associated Newspapers, called Harry’s allegations “preposterous and without foundation,” in a statement to Newsweek in May.
It all dates back to a key time for William and Kate’s relationship, before they went official, when a media frenzy was building around rumors of their romance.
What Prince Harry’s Lawsuit Says About Kate and William
Harry’s team point to an invoice sent to the Mail by private investigator Christine Hart “for £350 and dated 25 August 2003″ with the title “Out of Africa Story Royal Party Enqs,” which seems to refer to a piece in the Mail.
“It is an article with extensive details about Prince William’s 21st birthday party due to take place on the following day, 21 June 2003,” a court filing read. “The theme is ‘Out of Africa,’ and a large amount of detail is provided about the forthcoming event. It can be inferred, given Ms Hart’s modus operandi, that information for the article was obtained through blagging.”
The term “blagging” in the context of the British tabloid press usually refers to the practice of journalists obtaining information they were not entitled to, often by pretending to be someone else, though there are no additional details of this specific allegation in the filing.
Elsewhere, Harry’s lawyers said Kate had been in the sights of Steve Whittamore, a notorious private investigator convicted of breaching information laws in 2005.
“Whittamore targeted Catherine Middleton,” the filing read.
They appear to suggest Whittamore used Kate’s cell phone number to get her address, a practice known as a “mobile phone conversion.”
The filing says the Mail “commissioned Mr Whittamore to provide: (1) A mobile phone conversion related to [Harry’s] Associate, Catherine Middleton, now the Princess of Wales.
“(2) Two occupancy searches relating to the Ms Middleton’s family address, and (3) Ten phone numbers from a ‘Family and friends’ list, in which Mr Whittamore identified the Ms Middleton’s mobile phone number.”
No date is quoted in the filings by Harry’s team though it appears to come from evidence seized during an investigation into Whittamore by the ICO, which raided his office in 2003, The Guardian has previously reported, prior to his conviction two years later.
In May, Associated said: “In papers submitted to the High Court, the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday denied under oath that its journalists had commissioned or obtained information derived from phone hacking, phone tapping, bugging, computer or email hacking or burglary to order.”
“The publisher stands by its previous statements that the claims are preposterous and without foundation,” it added.
Media Pressure and Prince William and Kate’s Burgeoning Romance
The Prince and Princess of Wales saw their romance blossom at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where they began studying in 2001, but it was not until a decade later that they married, in April 2011.
The media were only just becoming aware of Kate as a possible girlfriend of the future king back in 2003, but by the time of William’s 21st birthday in June that year, her father Michael Middleton had gone on the record to deny they were an item.
Quoted in Robert Jobson’s book Catherine, A Biography, he said that May: “I spoke to her just a few days ago and can categorically confirm they are no more than just good friends. They are together all the time because they are the best of pals, and yes, cameramen are going to get photos of them together. But there’s nothing more to it than that.”
Indeed, William said in an interview in June 2003: “I don’t have a steady girlfriend. If I fancy a girl and I really like her and she fancies me back, which is rare, I ask her out.
“But, at the same time, I don’t want to put them in an awkward situation because a lot of people don’t quite understand what comes with knowing me.”
Jobson, though, says William in fact attended Kate’s birthday party the January before: “The persistent scrutiny from the media persisted, with speculations continuing to swirl.
“When Catherine celebrated her twenty-first birthday, her parents hosted a lavish champagne party at their expansive family home, followed by a themed dinner in a marquee reminiscent of the 1920s.
“In a spontaneous gesture, William slipped into the marquee unannounced, their affection for each other unmistakable to all in attendance, further confirming the true nature of their bond.”
The Mail denies Harry’s allegations. Had his claims been made publicly at the time they would have been far more incendiary than they are today.
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