Prince Harry launched a crusade against phone hackers (Image: Getty)
The high-powered lawyer who represented in his now-settled case against the owners of The Sun and the now defunct News Of The World has described what he is really like.
David Sherborne, who has represented high-profile clients such as Amy Winehouse, Cheryl Cole, Lily Allen and Harry Styles as well as the families of Madeleine McCann and Millie Dowler, says that he “admired” the Duke of Sussex for his idealistic determination to see the case through to the bitter end.
David also confessed to a certain disappointment that, after many weeks of preparation, he was never able to make his arguments in court thanks to a last-minute settlement.
David Sherborne [R] successfully represented Prince Harry (Image: Getty)
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Recalling the moment when he realised that he would never get to present his arguments in a courtroom, David told the podcast: “I think it was the Tuesday morning I had my notes in front of me to spend the next three days opening the case, explaining all the documents.
“I think it was really about five minutes beforehand that I was finally tapped on the shoulder and told the parties were very, very close [to an agreement] indeed.”
Despite his frustration at being denied his day in court, David expressed his admiration for Prince Harry’s idealism. He explained: “I mean, it’s very clear, whater you may think of Harry, he is absolutely clear and focused on what he wants to achieve. And passionate about doing so. I admire that.”
The prince brought hsi case out of a sense of ‘public duty,’ David said (Image: Getty)
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David added that Prince Harry saw himself as a crusader for other victims of unscrupulous practices that were less able to fight against press intrusion themselves. “He wasn’t interested in the financial compensation that would come with it,” he said. “He wasn’t interested in personally having his day in court.”
David added that Prince Harry firmly believes that “it is his public duty is to represent people who don’t have the voice that he has”.
Despite the lack of courtroom drama, the Duke’s steely-eyed determination paid off. News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology” to the Duke of Sussex for “serious intrusion” into his private life from 1996 to 2011.
The company agreed to pay him “substantial damages” after admitting private investigators used “unlawful activities” to obtain “private information”.