By Jonathan Mason-June 13th, 2023.
Prince Harry’s comments about the UK Government made in his ongoing trial against Mirror Group Newspapers will probably have left Buckingham Palace feeling “uncomfortable”, according to one of Britain’s most prestigious newspapers, the Sunday Times.
Historically it has been considered to be out of place for the monarchy to comment on the performance of the UK’s elected government, or on the performance of other postcolonial governments that the monarchy represents as head of state, or to lobby for legislation.
Harry, 38, is suing MGN for damages, claiming journalists at its titles were linked to unlawful methods at sourcing stories, including intercepting cell phone message inboxes.
In his written witness statement, Harry gave a scathing indictment of the government as being at “rock bottom” and of being “in bed” with elements of the press in order to avoid scrutiny.
“Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.
“I may not have a role within the Institution but, as a member of the British Royal family, and as a soldier upholding important values, I feel there’s a responsibility to expose this criminal activity in the name of public interest.
“The country and the British public deserve to know the depths of what was actually happening then, and indeed now. We will be better off for it.”
According to the Sunday Times, a royal source has claimed the palace “will find Harry’s comments extremely difficult and uncomfortable, because you can never fully separate yourself from the institution and it will have raised eyebrows on both sides of the park — in Parliament too — not least because it wasn’t necessary for the core of his case.
Harry is not the only member of the Royal Family who has been accused of getting involved in politics in recent months.
In February this year, King Charles met with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, whilst she was in the country to finalise a post-Brexit deal over the Northern Ireland protocol.
The decision to meet with von der Leyen at that juncture was criticised across the political spectrum because of the controversial nature of the deal, and the figure of the monarch itself in Northern Ireland.
In addition, both Charles and the Prince of Wales have made strong statements of support for Ukraine following the invasion by Russia.
While supporting Ukraine is a popular position in the UK and unlikely to offend, it’s a significant deviation from the late Queen’s Elizabeth well-known and much admired soft touch when it came to diplomacy.
Harry, who is no longer a working royal in any capacity, is free to express political opinions.
Sources: Yahoo! News, Sunday Times.
