A decade-old private Facebook messages exchanged by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, have resurfaced during the closing stages of his High Court case against Associated Newspapers, bringing fresh attention to his past interactions with journalist Charlotte Griffiths.
The messages, dating from December 2011 to January 2012, reveal a friendly and playful tone between the two. In one of the first messages, Harry introduced himself casually, writing, “It's H, incase u were confused by name and picture!!! X,” to which Griffiths replied, “What a fun weekend of naughtiness – can't we all get up to no good in the countryside every weekend damn it?? Smooches.”
Griffiths also referred to him as “Mr Mischief,” prompting Harry to jokingly question how he got that nickname. In another message, he shared a glimpse of his schedule, saying he had to “make polite conversation with strange people at a dinner” while “begging them for money for charity.”
In a later exchange from Jan. 22, 2012, Griffiths addressed him as “H bomb” and mentioned, “we missed you so much at Arthur's last week.” Harry replied, “I WISH I was there sugar but unfortunately stuck in Cornwall doing Army stuff,” adding, “Otherwise I would have been there playing and then drinking u under the table,obvi!!”
He continued in the same message, “Just wish I could have been there…especially now that you're there! Dou ever work?!!…. Hope you're really well Griff…Miss our movie snuggles!! I'm off comms all week incase u think I'm being rude,keep me posted xxx xxx xxx.”
These Facebook exchanges have become part of the evidence in Harry's lawsuit, where he has accused the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday of using unlawful methods such as phone hacking, surveillance, and deception to obtain private information. The defence has argued that some information may have come from individuals within his social circle.
Griffiths, now editor-at-large at the publication, stated in her witness account that they were part of the same London social scene and knew each other at the time. Harry, however, has maintained that he did not initially know she was a journalist and distanced himself after finding out.
Harry is the younger son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, and a prominent member of the British royal family. The viral messages date back to a period after his relationship with Chelsy Davy and before he began dating Cressida Bonas. He later married Meghan Markle in 2018.
With hearings now concluded, the court's verdict is awaited in a case that continues to raise questions about privacy and media practices.
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