Prince Harry recently traveled to the United Kingdom to testify at the High Court in London as part of the lawsuit that he filed against several British tabloids, such as the Daily Mirror and The Sun, for allegedly obtaining information about him through illegal means. However, several royal experts believe that appearing in court could be catastrophic for his reputation.
On June 6, the Duke of Sussex became the first member of the royal family to testify in court in more than 130 years. During his testimony, he talked about how his privacy was violated and how his daily life was affected because of it:
“I genuinely feel that in every relationship that I’ve ever had — be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there’s always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press. Having seen me grow up from a baby and scrutinized my every move, the tabloids have known the challenges and mental health struggles that I have had to deal with throughout my childhood and adult life and for them to then play on that and use it to their own advantage, I think is, well, criminal.”
Even if Harry is telling the truth, several royal experts believe that it might be a bad idea for him to appear in court. According to author Tim Maltin, he could face very uncomfortable questions on the witness stand as “this isn’t like taking questions from Oprah Winfrey in a celebrity interview” and his answers could damage his reputation. This goes in line with what the historian Anthony Seldon believes about the case:
“Harry’s standing and trajectory will only be harmed, whatever the outcome. The public is losing sympathy with him and his constant protestations of victimhood. Harry and Meghan’s continuing hard luck stories only make William and Kate look much better in every way.”
On top of that, it has also been reported that Prince Harry could lose a large sum of money if the judge does not rule in his favor. Despite this, he is willing to take the risk and testify in court so justice can finally be served.