Prince Harry revealed the personal damage caused by journalists hacking his phone in newly released legal documents in London's High Court last September, the Times reports (opens in new tab). The Times revealed last October (opens in new tab) that Prince Harry is suing two major publishers for hacking his phone: the News Group Newspapers, which owns The Sun and once owned the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, The Mirror Group Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror.

Harry is suing for more than 200,000 pounds (about $265,000) in damages, claiming that journalists have been targeting him since he was 12 years old. After the newspaper published an article obtained from Harry's hacked phone, the Duke of Sussex became paranoid and began to suspect that close friends and family members were leaking information about him. Ultimately, the Times reported, Harry "suffered a complete breakdown of trust." In particular, Harry focused the article on his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsea Davy, whom he dated on and off until 2010.

Harry said that while voicemails frequently disappeared from his inbox, he did not receive messages from friends and family. He also received numerous missed calls from an unknown number. Photographers and journalists were also a security risk, as Harry sometimes showed up without making his whereabouts public.

According to the Duke of Sussex, after Princess Diana's death in 1997, journalists became increasingly intrusive, compounding the grief of losing Harry. They continued to hack his phone until at least 2011, he claimed. Harry is seeking "aggravated damages" for the "gross violation" of his right to a private life, the Times reported.