Prince Harry said he “stands firmly” with those harmed by press intrusion as he backs the father of Madeline McCann, calling for greater scrutiny against the British media.
The Duke of Sussex fully supports the implementation of the Leveson Inquiry’s recommendations, his spokesman announced, as Gerry McCann discussed how press interest in his daughter’s disappearance has made him feel like he was being “suffocated and buried”.
Harry has been involved in his own battle with the British media, settling legal action against News Group Newspapers in January, which offered a “full and unequivocal apology” for “serious intrusion” by The Sun and for phone hacking by private investigators working for the News Of The World.
On Wednesday, Mr McCann spoke in a rare interview about the “huge toll” on his family because of the media interest after Madeleine, who went missing in Portugal in 2007.
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He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he hopes for the resumption of the cancelled second phase of the Leveson Inquiry, which would have examined unlawful media activity and relationships between journalists, politicians, and the police.
Mr McCann stated that he is “extremely disappointed” that Labour politicians have not committed to implementing some of the recommendations made in the first part of the Leveson Inquiry, despite having pledged to do so before the election.
A spokesman for Harry said: “The duke stands firmly with all those harmed by unethical and unlawful press intrusion.
“He fully supports the implementation of the Leveson Inquiry’s recommendations as essential reforms to protect the public, while safeguarding responsible, free, and fair journalism.”
Harry ‘fully supports the implementation of the Leveson Inquiry’s recommendations’
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Mr McCann said that after his daughter’s disappearance, journalists came to their house and photographers were “literally ramming their cameras against our car window”.
During the interview, the father said: “We had tremendous support.
“But I can promise you, there were times when I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, primarily.”
He added that the press “repeatedly interfered” with the investigation into his daughters’ vanishing.
Madeleine McCann went missing from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007 | PA
The McCanns are among more than 30 individuals who have signed a letter sent to the Prime Minister, calling for him to reverse the decision not to hold the second phase of the inquiry.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy explained a second phase had been “ruled out” and that the media landscape is now very different.
“It’s a really difficult thing to get right, because we’ve got to balance the rights and needs of victims and survivors with the need for a free press,” she told the BBC.
Harry received substantial damages and an apology for both “serious intrusion” into his private life and “unlawful activities” by The Sun when he settled his case.
Harry received substantial damages and an apology for both ‘serious intrusion’ into his private life and ‘unlawful activities’ by The Sun
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GETTYThe publisher also issued a significant apology for the “extensive coverage and serious intrusion” into Harry’s and his late mother, Princess Diana’s, private lives during his childhood.
It acknowledged the distress caused to the duke and “the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family”.
The duke and six other prominent claimants are engaged in separate legal cases and have been warned of the substantial financial risks they face in their £38million privacy suit against Associated Newspapers.
Judges have cautioned that losing could make them personally responsible for millions in legal expenses.
On Tuesday, Judge David Cook and Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the group, which includes Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, must fully understand the potential consequences of their legal actions, especially given the rising costs and the financial risks associated with their insurance policies.