The Duke of Sussex sent a stream of personal Facebook messages to a journalist, joking about drinking her under the table and “movie snuggles”.
In conversations between December 2011 and January 2012, Prince Harry referred to Charlotte Griffiths, a Mail on Sunday reporter, as “sugar” and signed off with the word “mwah” and strings of kisses.
The messages were disclosed to the High Court as part of the Duke’s privacy claim against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. They suggested the pair were on closer terms than the Duke had indicated.
He had told the court in January that he had only met Griffiths once, at a party, and “cut off contact” the next day as soon as he realised she was a journalist.
The 11-week trial ended on Tuesday, with the barristers making closing submissions to Mr Justice Nicklin, who will deliver his ruling at a later date.
The newly released messages appeared to show the Duke had previously struck up a friendship with the Mail on Sunday’s former diary editor.
Griffiths, 40, now the paper’s editor at large, had told the High Court earlier in March that she had socialised in some of the same circles as the younger royals.
She described how Prince Harry “friended” her on Facebook in 2011 and sent her his mobile number before they exchanged messages online. They both also attended an all-night party the following June and texted each other the next morning.
When the Duke gave evidence, he said he had “no idea” whether she moved in his social circles and insisted he had only met Griffiths once, at a party hosted by their mutual friend Arthur Landon.
When he realised she was a journalist, he said he “had words” with his friend “and that was that”.
Harry discusses his relationship with Daily Mail journalist in court
[Antony White KC] Can I ask you next about Ms Nicholl’s successor as the diary editor at the Mail on Sunday, a woman called Charlotte Griffiths. Ms Griffiths worked under Ms Nicholl on the Mail on Sunday diary from around 2008 and took over as diary editor in 2013. Ms Griffiths also moved in your social circles, didn’t she, Prince Harry?
[Prince Harry] I have no idea. 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.
[White] She says that she met you and some of your friends at a house party in Ibiza in about 2011.
[Harry] I don’t think I was in Ibiza in 2011. I think the only time I’ve been to Ibiza — that’s interesting — the only time I’ve been to Ibiza was with my wife and son, my Lord.
[White] Well, she suggests that you met at a house party in Ibiza in I think either 2011 or 2012 and that she socialised with you and your friends in Ibiza after that first meeting.
[Harry] Mr White, my Lord, I don’t think that can be right. I don’t believe that I’ve ever been to Ibiza other than with my now wife.
[White] She says that she also socialised with you and your friends in London at nightclubs and house parties.
[Harry] Not as far as I’m aware.
[White] Not as far as you’re aware?
[Harry] As I said to my Lord just now, 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 wasn’t aware.
[White] At some point in 2011 you added Ms Griffiths as a friend on Facebook, didn’t you?
[Harry] That was probably exactly the weekend I’m talking about.
[White] You used the name “Mr Mischief” to make posts to her?
[Harry] No, I’ve never used the name “Mr Mischief”, Mr White. Mr White, considering Ms Griffiths started with this claim that I was in Ibiza and that she was partying with me, if that’s where she began, I think everything else that you say has to be taken with a large pinch of salt.
[White] I suggest you exchanged friendly messages about socialising together on Facebook?
[Harry] I have no idea.
[White] You gave her your mobile number on Facebook in a message on 6 December 2011?
[Harry] 2011, probably around that same weekend when I was unaware of who she was.
[White] And in June 2012, you were at a house party at the home of an Arthur Landon, who was a mutual friend?
[Harry] That’s the weekend that I’m talking about, Mr White.
[White] Well, the Facebook messages that I’ve put to you were in 2011.
[Harry] And the weekend was when?
[White] Well, the messages are in late 2011, the Facebook messages.
[Harry] So after the weekend?
[White] Yes.
[Harry] Yes, so I was…
[White] But the house party of Arthur Landon is a different occasion, I suggest. It’s a house party at the home of Arthur Landon that Ms Griffiths attended and you attended, and she arrived late and had to give you a ring so you could let her in.
[Harry] No, I don’t believe that. I believe that Ms Griffiths — 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?
[White] I’m afraid I… I believe she was. I believe when I began the questions I explained that she worked—
[Harry] Well, she certainly never shared that with me. I had to find that out myself.
[White] —on the diary from 2008.
[Harry] I wasn’t aware of that at the time, but when I found out, I cut contact with her.
But the string of Facebook messages, seen in full for the first time, appears to suggest a slightly different story.
The Duke sent the first message, on Dec 4, 2011, telling Griffiths: “It’s H,incase u were confused by name and picture!!! X.”
Griffiths, who at the time was the paper’s deputy diary editor, replied: “Hello Mr Mischief… Did you get home OK slash did you actually find your car and did you beat Arthur down the motorway more importantly?!”
She added: “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. Xxx”
The Duke replied that it was “without doubt the best of those weekends I’ve been to”.
He added: “What a crowd. Never laughed so much in 24hrs!! Mr mischief? How do I get that title … l was surely no worse than anyone else!!”
He said he had “Serious withdraw symptoms still” but that he had been forced to “make polite conversation with strange people at a dinner last night.begging them for money for charity! Really fun.not.”
The Duke told Griffiths: “Hope work isn’t too dull wherever u are?!”
Griffiths suggested a team reunion and referred to the lack of banter “on the group email front!”
Just over ten days later, on Dec 15, the Duke told the journalist she had “missed a good party last night”.
Then on Jan 22, 2012, Griffiths replied, referring to the Duke as “H Bomb” and telling him: “We missed you so much at Arthur’s last week.”
The Duke responded: “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!!”
He added: “Just wish I could have been there … especially now that you’re there! Dou ever work?!!…. 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”.
Recreation of Prince Harry conversation with Charlotte Griffiths
Prince Harry’s Secret Texts to Charlotte Griffiths Just Made Her The Most Credible Royal Reporter Ever – Tom Sykes Substack
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Griffiths told the court that in June 2012, she and Prince Harry had both attended a house party hosted by Mr Landon, which she remembered because they thought it was “quite funny” that the Duke had stayed up all night before having to go to a Trooping the Colour event the next morning.
Call data is said to show a call between the two at 2.50am, and three text messages exchanged between them the next morning.
At the High Court on Tuesday, barristers for each side submitted closing written arguments totalling 392,164 words.
Antony White KC, for Associated, criticised the “speculative nature” of the claim, brought by seven high-profile figures including Sir Elton John and Baroness Lawrence, and the “frankly desperate” allegations put repeatedly to “respectable journalists”.
David Sherborne, for the claimants, said each of his clients should receive a “very substantial award of damages”.
The judge said he would be “toiling away on the judgment” full-time after Easter but gave no indication about how long the task might take.
Judgment is reserved.
