Prince Harry is in London to testify in his court case against Mirror Group Newspapers, in which he alleges the publisher used unlawful means to gather information about his private life.
In his witness statement, seen by BBC News, the Duke of Sussex cited his romantic relationships as one of the main areas of his life that suffered due to tabloid stories about his love life.
"Whenever I got into a relationship, they were very keen to report the details but would then, very quickly, seek to try and break it up by putting as much strain on it and creating as much distrust as humanly possible," the duke wrote.
"This twisted objective is still pursued to this day even though I’m now married.
"I simply don’t understand (and never have) how the inner, private details of my relationships ... could have anything to do with the well-being of society or the running of the country and therefore be in the public interest."
These words echo a sentiment the duke had already expressed back in May, when court proceedings began. In documents filed at the time, Harry's lawyer David Sherborne claimed that his client "became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age. It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and made him fear for his and her safety."
Sherborne added, "Every time he was in a relationship, or even a rumored relationship, that whole person’s family, and often their friends, would be 'dragged into the chaos' and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN."
While Harry has previously expressed fear for his wife Meghan Markle's safety because of the actions of tabloid media, he has not said in as many words before that he believes the press tries to break up his marriage.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
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