Piers Morgan has repeatedly denied involvement in the royal family phone hacking scandal, but new evidence in Prince Harry's lawsuit suggests otherwise. The civil trial, taking place at the High Court in London, alleges phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), with author Omid Scobie providing insight into Morgan's newsroom operations.
According to a filing from Harry's legal team, Scobie, as a journalism student, had a week of work experience at the Sunday People, another MGN title. He was reportedly given a list of cellphone numbers and instructions on how to listen to voicemails, as though it were standard newsgathering practice. Scobie also spent time working on the Daily Mirror's 3AM column in 2002 when Morgan was editor.
The filing claims Scobie recalled a conversation between Morgan and a colleague about a story involving Kylie Minogue and James Gooding. Morgan allegedly inquired about the confidence in the reporting and was told the information came from voicemails. Scobie later found an article online dated May 11, 2002, that appeared to relate to the discussed story.
Morgan, 58, frequently criticizes the royal family, particularly Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved to the US in 2020. A victory for Harry in this case could mark a significant turning point in their feud.
The court filing further states that "board-adjacent" individuals, or those in high-level management or executive roles with direct reporting lines to the board, were aware of the extensive use of private investigators (PIs) by MGN journalists. Some, including Piers Morgan, even knew about the illegal activities carried out by these PIs.
Previously, Harry had alleged that Morgan was aware of the hacking and cited various articles published during that period, including Princess Diana's phone call with her art dealer Oliver Hoare, a private meeting between Sarah Ferguson and Diana, and Diana's trip to the US without her sons.
Morgan responded to the allegations on Twitter, criticizing Prince Harry as a "permanently angry, narcissistic little twerp" and urging him to "stop whining, stop suing, stop trashing his family, stop damaging the Monarchy, and just shut up." Newsweek has reported on the ongoing trial.