Prince Harry Blames Legal Battle With British Tabloids for Royal ‘Rift’

Prince Harry blamed his ongoing legal battles with several U.K. newspapers for the so-called royal “rift,” telling U.K. broadcaster ITV in a preview clip Wednesday for a documentary called “Tabloids On Trial” that his decision to file the lawsuits played a “central” role in the breakdown of his relationship with his family. Harry has sued the publishers of The Sun and the Daily Mail, alleging that both news outlets engaged in unlawful snooping—including phone hacking—of his family over several decades. He has spoken in previous interviews about the myriad ways tabloid reporters and photographers hounded his late mother, Princess Diana, and his wife Meghan—even saying that Diana was likely “one of the first people to be hacked” by the U.K. press. “I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done,” he said of his attempts to take on the British press and hold them accountable. “It would be nice if we did it as a family. I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good.” Harry’s full interview will air on Thursday night London time.