Prince Harry might be living his happily ever after now, but before there was Meghan Markle, there was Chelsy Davy. The couple broke off their romance more than a decade ago, but now, Harry is speaking out about the end of their relationship — more specifically, how UK tabloids were the cause of it.
Harry testified in court about his former relationship.
Harry is battling it out against the Daily Mirror in London High Court, and he spent the day Tuesday testifying about how the invasive press has caused harm to him and the people he loves.
Now, the New York Times has obtained a written statement that Harry submitted as part of his testimony.
He called the UK tabloids ‘the main factor in their 2010 breakup.
Harry and Chelsy were in an on-and-off relationship for more than six years, but according to Harry, it ultimately came to an end because of the heat the press was putting on them as a couple.
“Our relationship was long distance for the majority of the time we were together, with Chelsy and I often living in different countries, so we relied on communicating by phone a lot,” Harry said in his statement. “We, naturally, spoke about all types of personal matters, including all aspects of our relationship and this was often through voicemail. As my girlfriend, I trusted Chelsy with the most private of information and vice versa.”
Because Harry is accusing the Daily Mirror of hacking his phone and using “illegal interception of voicemail messages” to get intel on his life, this last detail is key.
Different details about their relationship leaked over the years.
Harry said journalists who wrote these stories didn’t attribute any sources, so how else could they have gotten the information?
“Every time these kinds of stories were published, there was a strain put on our relationship, we started to distrust everyone around us,” he said.
Harry said he has ‘experienced hostility from the press since I was born.’
During his testimony in court, Harry said the press played “a destructive role in my growing up,” mentioning the negative effects it had on his relationship with his brother, Prince William, along with his mother, Princess Diana, who also believed that her phone had been hacked.
This isn’t the first time that the press has been blamed for ending his relationship with Chelsy.
As Chelsy told The Times in 2016, the public pressure was simply too much.
“It was so crazy and scary and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldn’t cope,” she said at the time. “I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible.”
It’s hard to blame her for feeling that way — and if the press did use illegal means to obtain information about their relationship, hopefully justice will be served.