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Prince Harry revealed in an interview that he is fearful of bringing Meghan Markle back to the UK in case of an “acid” or “knife attack”.
In the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired on Thursday, the 39-year-old said he would not bring his wife back to the UK over safety fears partially caused by the press.
He said: “All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read… and whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.”
The prince added that the late Queen is backing his tabloid fight “up there”. He said he had many discussions with the late monarch about press intrusion and that she supported the action he is taking against it.
“She knew how much this meant to me and she’s very much up there saying ‘see this through to the end’,” he said.
Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020 after stepping down as working royals. The couple no longer has an official UK residence.
Below is our coverage of the documentary’s revelations as it happened, along with other news from the Royal Family.
Prince Harry ‘fears’ knife or acid attack on Meghan Markle
“All it takes is one lone actor, one person who read this stuff, to act on what they have read, and whether that is a knife or acid… they are genuine concerns for me, they are one of the reasons I won’t bring my wife back to this country,” he said.
Monarchy’s income to rise by £45m due to Crown Estate profits
The monarchy is to receive a boost of more than £45 million, with a 53% jump in its official annual income to more than £130 million.
Soaring profits from the Crown Estate to £1.1 billion mean the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, will increase from £86.3 million in 2024/2025 to £132 million in 2025/2026.
Officials said the increase will be used to help fund the final stages of the 10-year £369 million renovation of Buckingham Palace, keeping it on time and budget.
The boost will be reviewed through legislation in 2026/27 to keep funding of the royal family at a “more appropriate” level, a Palace spokesman said.
King Charles to replace helicopters after £1m flight costs
King Charles is set to replace his 15-year-old helicopters this year after the royal family spent over £1 million on journeys last year.
The family made over 170 journeys in the helicopters but the Sikorsky helicopters will soon be replaced with two new AgustaWestland AW139s.
A palace spokesperson said the family would be aiming to use the helicopters as much as possible to “sweat the asset”.
“Helicopters are a very important tool in our travel resources,” the official said. “They provide great flexibility. They enable His Majesty and members of the royal family to be to be seen throughout the length and breadth of the UK.
Prince Harry blames phone hacking case for royal rift
Prince Harry has spoken out about how his decision to bring his privacy case against the tabloid press impacted the rift between himself and his family.
The duke won his privacy battle against Mirror Group newspapers in December 2023 as a judge ruled he had been the target of phone hacking.
Breaking his silence on the case, he told ITV in a new documentary that his determination to fight the tabloids had been a “central piece” in the rift between him and his family.
He said: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.
“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family.”
Prince Harry speaks on tabloid court battle
Prince Harry has broken his silence on his phone-hacking court battle with the tabloid press.
The duke won his privacy battle against Mirror Group newspapers in December 2023 as a judge ruled he had been the target of unlawful information gathering.
He described the win as “monumental” as he spoke about the legal battle for the first time in an ITV documentary
He said: “To go in there and come out and have the judge rule in our favour was obviously huge. But for him to go as far as he did with regard to, you know, this wasn’t just the individual people. This went right up to the top…this was lawyers, this was high executives. And to be able to achieve that in a trial that’s a monumental victory.”
Prince William refuses to reveal tax bill, breaking King Charles tradition
The decision marked a stark contrast with his father King Charles III, who would publish a full breakdown of household costs and his tax, which for the year ending 2022 was £5.89m.
Kensington Palace said the Prince was paying the “appropriate” level of income tax and his decision not to publish details reflected “what was required”, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Tax is paid by the Prince of Wales on his earnings from the Duchy of Cornwall after deducting official expenditure on his family.
Prince William would ‘rather WhatsApp’ than call
Kensington Palace has given an insight into the working world of Prince William, and his penchant for sending a barrage of WhatsApp messages – unlike his father the King, the 24th duke of Cornwall, who prefers the old-fashioned telephone.
Alastair Martin, the Duchy of Cornwall’s secretary and keeper of records, said: “Sustainability is a passion that they both share but there are some differences.
“His royal highness the 24th duke would telephone me. His royal highness the 25th Duke, will WhatsApp me.”
Harry speaks about Princess Diana as he opens up about phone hacking case
As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case, Prince Harry opened up about his mother’s own experience of phone hacking.
Harry won a legal battle against the tabloid press last December as it was ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking.
Speaking in a new ITV documentary about whether the hacking made him paranoid he said: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid. You know, same with my mother.
“You know, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-nineties, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid.
But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”
Prince Harry reflects on tabloid headlines as he speaks out about phone hacking
Prince Harry has reflected on tabloid headlines about his personal life as he opens up about his legal battle against the tabloid press.
The duke has broken his silence in a new ITV documentary after winning his privacy case against Mirror Group newspapers in December.
Looking at a headline from the time about his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy apparently preparing to split with him, the Prince said: “Harry’s girl to dump him – seems as though they knew something before I even did.”
He also says: “I think there’s a lot of I guess, paranoia, fear, worry, concern, distrust in the people around you, clearly a headline like that has absolutely no public interest whatsoever.
“There’s a big difference between what interests the public and what is public interest, so what happens in my private life between myself and [my] then girlfriend is exactly that, between us.”
Frogmore Cottage remains empty a year after Harry and Meghan vacated it
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s former home, Frogmore Cottage, remains empty more than a year after they officially vacated the property.
Palace officials at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing said there were no new tenants in the Grade II Crown Estate property in Windsor Home Park.
It has been said that Harry has stayed in a hotel on recent visits to the UK, rather than at a royal residence.
The Sussexes were asked to move any remaining possessions out of their UK home close to Windsor Castle in 2023, just weeks after the duke criticised his family in his controversial memoir Spare.
A Palace official said: “During the year, Frogmore Cottage has remained empty.
“I don’t think, at this point, I would speculate on who will be the future occupants of the cottage.”
He added: “The Sovereign Grant has been fully reimbursed for the refurbishment costs of Frogmore cottage when it was initially provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, therefore, there is no cost to the Sovereign Grant other than some routine maintenance, but it would be required for any of the buildings.”
Source: independent.co.uk
