Setback in lawsuit

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Prince Harry suffers a setback in his lawsuit against the Sun. He now has to explain what the deleted chats are all about.(Bild: APA/AFP/Daniel LEAL)

Prince Harry has suffered a setback in his lawsuit against the publisher of the British tabloid newspaper "The Sun" for illegally obtaining information. 

A judge in London ordered the younger son of King Charles III to explain why numerous messages and documents were deleted that were allegedly important for the legal dispute with News Group Newspapers (NGN). 

"Relevant documents" were destroyed
This concerns chats between Harry and J.R. Moehringer, the ghostwriter of his autobiography "Reserve". British media reported this on Friday.

Prince Harry is said to have destroyed "a large number of potentially relevant documents".(Bild: APA/AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS)

The 39-year-old accuses NGN of illegally collecting private information about him since the age of nine, for example by listening to voicemails. The publisher, which also owned the revolving newspaper "News of the World", which was discontinued years ago, denies this. The trial is scheduled to begin in January 2025.

Judge Timothy Fancourt reportedly said there was evidence that "a large number of potentially relevant documents" and confidential messages between Harry and J.R. Moehringer "were destroyed sometime between 2021 and 2023". At the time, the lawsuit was already pending.

Fancourt ruled that a more extensive search of Harry's laptop, text messages and Whatsapp messages was necessary to investigate communications between 2005 and early 2023.

Harry defends himself against allegations
NGN accuses the fifth in line to the British throne of concealment. He had already known before 2013 that he was entitled to compensation. The case is therefore time-barred. Harry's lawyer David Sherborne, on the other hand, asserted that his client had not exchanged any chat messages about the unlawful procurement of information.

Harry has long been taking legal action against British tabloid media, which he accuses of spying on him. He was partially vindicated and awarded damages.