In his tabloid trench war, Prince Harry is going over the top

Editorial: On his first day in court, the Duke of Sussex unleashed the kind of polemic any tabloid columnist might be proud of

Prince Harry is also prosecuting the media in a very different forum – the court of public opinion (AP)

Not for the first time in recent years, the British press finds itself on trial. Formally, Prince Harry and his co-plaintiffs from the world of entertainment and sport are suing Mirror Group Newspapers in a civil case for alleged instances of phone hacking and other unlawful activity.

Parallel to the sombre proceedings in the High Court, Prince Harry is also prosecuting the media in a very different forum – the court of public opinion. His astonishing attack on “rock bottom” Britain and her government is unprecedented. Let’s not forget that he is a prince of the realm.

The Duke of Sussex, like the other plaintiffs and indeed anyone else, is fully entitled to pursue his grievances through the courts. In his case, he plainly feels that he, his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and indeed other members of his family, have been unfairly and sometimes unlawfully pursued by the media since he was a child. No one disputes that the loss of his mother at the age of 12, traumatised him.