Prince Harry’s appearance as a witness against the Mirror Newspapers Group is a historic event.  

That’s according to London-based journalist Enda Brady, who told Newstalk Breakfast it’s going to be “absolutely fascinating to hear what he has to say”.  

“There has been no Royal in court giving evidence since 1890,” he said. “The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII, was a witness to allegations relating to cheating at cards.

“That somehow ended up in court in London at the time and it was sensational.” 

Mr Brady said Prince Harry’s lawsuit against the Mirror Newspapers Group will be equally sensational. 

“Basically, it’s about 160 articles written about Prince Harry and his family between 1996 and 2010,” he explained.  

“His lawyers are calling it a ‘web’ of illegal activity covering all parts of his life that were used to gain access and information they should not have had.” 

"Non-stop harassment"

He said while the relationship between the Royal Family and the British press is now relatively “civil and polite”, it was previously “like the Wild West”.  

“Harry and William had a gentleman’s agreement that Charles had hammered out with the press in the aftermath of Diana's death that the boys were off-limits,” he said.  

“But as soon as Harry became a young man and started partying, there were whispers that he was big into drinking and girls and socialising - like any young lad – and suddenly the gloves were off.” 

The website of Rupert Murdoch's The Sun newspaper showing naked photos of the royal family's Prince Harry

He said Prince Harry feels his personal relationships were negatively affected by “lewd stories and non-stop harassment” by the British press. 

“William and Kate go to a pub, and she has a go at pulling a pint – there’s frivolity, lovely pictures, a one-sided lovely story,” he said.  

“Harry feels, for better or worse, he got the short end of the stick.” 

Trial

Mr Brady said Prince Harry hasn’t started in the best position, having missed the first day of the trial.  

“There was a rebuke from the judge yesterday that Harry was not in court on day one,” he said. “He said all witnesses should be available from day one.

“He was at his daughter’s second birthday party in California.” 

The Duke of Sussex will “picked apart” in his witness statement by the press, according to Mr Brady, as well as Buckingham Palace. 

“I would imagine Buckingham Palace and all their press officers will be listening in and following on their feeds,” he said.  

You can listen back here: