Dry, meandering, heavy on small detail: Prince Harry’s day in court was more ‘bust’ than ‘blockbuster’

Even with the most celebrated characters, courtroom dramas need a higher-octane plot than this one, writes Tom Peck

Prince Harry is, almost certainly, one of more than a thousand victims of unlawful information-gathering by the tabloid press (PA)

In a neon-strip-lit room, in front of a television audience of zero, the prince placed his hand upon the Holy Bible.

There was no archbishop, no golden robes, and no promise to govern the people with justice and mercy.

Only the common oath for Prince Harry. Common, yes, but very rare. You have to go back more than a century for the last time a senior royal was sworn in as a witness in a major court case. He cleared his throat, fixed his eyes in front of him, and swore that the evidence he would give would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help him God.