As part of his ongoing High Court case, Prince Harry has been accused of swapping intimate messages with a journalist, Charlotte Griffiths, whilst trying to argue that his inner circle was not ‘leaky’ or responsible for stories about him, or his family, appearing in the press – as part of his ongoing privacy battle.
The court heard that in one, Griffiths seems to refer to the Prince as ‘Mr Mischief’ and in another, he appears to say he ‘misses’ their ‘movie snuggles’. Other messages refer to a “weekend of naughtiness”.
The court case sees Harry, along with actor Elizabeth Hurley and singer Elton John, claim that the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, part of Associated Newspapers, repeatedly used nefarious methods to obtain stories, such as phone hacking and stealing medical records.
Associated Newspapers has firmly denied sourcing stories using illegal methods.
During a January court appearance, Harry insisted “I am not friends with any of these journalists” and said his trusted inner circle would not provide personal details to the newspapers without his knowledge.
Griffiths told the court she met Harry at a country house party in 2011, hosted by his longtime friend, film producer Arthur Landon. The messages also mention ‘Skippy’ (Tom Inskip) one of Harry’s closest friends.
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The Facebook messages Griffiths shared in court appear to show Harry making the first move on 4 December 2011. At the time, she worked for the Mail on Sunday.
Evidence presented in the High Court case
After receiving a message claiming that an obscured profile belonged to Prince Harry, Griffiths replied: “Hello Mr Mischief … What a fun weekend of naughtiness – can’t we all get up to no good in the countryside every weeked damn it?? Smooches, CG String.”
Griffiths alleged that she and Harry moved in similar circles over the years, hitting up the same high-end party spots and polo events.
In messages dated January 2012 and read in court, Griffiths appears to say to the royal: “H Bomb – we missed you so much at Arthur’s last week … ski pp cracked out some serious moves…
“Anyhoo… after some shooooping in Val D and Meribel (yeah, casual, whateves) ive arrived in klosters and been watching some Sentebale snow polo… does that mean you’re here and I can dominate you off the black runs – slash steal one of your ski boots and feel Ires non guilty?! xxxX”.
In response, the profile attributed to Harry wrote: “Haha, Chartie I WISH I was there sugar but unfortunately stuck in Cornwall doing Army stuff: (Otherwise I would have been there playing and then drinking u under the table,obvi!! The whole thing raised a load of money so I’m pretty happy, just wish I could have been there ….. especially now that you’re there! Dou ever work?!!
“Bummed beyond belief to have missed Arrhurs as well… l’ve been seriously busy since I last saw u but plan on getting back in the mix for Feb! U best be around … ? Hope you’re really well Griff … Miss our movie snuggles!! I’m off comms all week incase u think I’m being rude, keep me posted xxx xxx xxx”.
Courtroom evidence
Griffiths also claimed to have socialised with Prince William, alleging that he told guests at a party she attended that Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was pregnant with Prince George, four days before the news was formally announced by the Palace.
“William arrived solo on the Friday and explained that Kate was suffering with morning sickness,” she told the court. “The fact that she was pregnant with their first child would have been big news and St James’ Palace only confirmed it the following Monday because she had to be admitted to hospital.”
Harry told the court, “The first time I met Ms Griffiths was actually at a friend’s weekend and I had no idea that she was a journalist at that time […] I met her once at a weekend, and then the next day, after I’d left, after the weekend had finished, I found out who she was. I had words with my friend and that was that.”
He also said, “The only time I’ve met her was at that weekend with Mr Landon and, as I said, I had no idea who she was. I don’t – was she working for the Daily Mail at that time. When I found out, I cut contact with her.
“My social circles were not ‘leaky’, I want to make that absolutely clear, and any time that I was suspicious… then I would have to cut communication with those people.”
A judgement from Mr Justice Nicklin is due to follow.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.