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Prince Harry evidence, day two recap: Duke chokes back tears in court - 'It's a lot'

The Duke of Sussex has given a second day of evidence in his ongoing battle against the tabloid press.

Prince Harry has rejected a suggestion he wants to be a phone-hacking victim and raised concerns about the level of detail in an article about his visit to a strip club, a court heard on Wednesday.

The denial came as the duke during his second and final day of evidence as part of his case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror over alleged unlawful information gathering (UIG).

Towards the end of his evidence, Harry appeared to choke back tears as he talked about the experience of giving evidence for a day and a half, saying: "It's a lot."

At one point, a lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) accused Harry of wanting to be a phone-hacking victim and asked if he would be disappointed if he wasn't, to which Harry responded: "Nobody wants to be phone hacked."

Harry also said an article about a trip to Spearmint Rhino strip club in 2006 - headlined 'Chel shocked' -contained "very specific" information about a conversation with then girlfriend Chelsy Davy. He also said an article in 2008 concerning his withdrawal from Afghanistan was likely to have been sourced from UIG and that it had impacted his mental health.

MGN began Harry's witness box appearance yesterday by apologising to him for an article published in 2004 about his visit to a London nightclub that it accepts was the product of unlawful information gathering. MGN denies all other wrongdoing.

Read all the key updates from Harry's evidence below:

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  • Emma Mackenzie

    Harry makes political intervention in witness statement


    Prince Harry has hit out at the UK government and British press, calling them "rock bottom" in his witness statement that was submitted to the court today.

    "Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo", the statement said.

    Read more about Harry's political statement from The Independent below

    Government and press both ‘at rock bottom’, says Prince Harry

Harry court case: Read more

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives to the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London on June 6, 2023. Prince Harry is expected to take the witness stand as part of claims against a British tabloid publisher, the latest in his legal battles with the press. King Charles III's younger son will become the first senior British royal to give evidence in court for more than a century when he testifies against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice to give evidence. (AFP/Getty Images)

MGN has said: "Where historical wrongdoing has taken place, we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully."