Tominey: Prince Harry is ‘very backward-looking’ for suing the British tabloids

As someone who regularly monitors and discusses the British media and the royal commentary, let me just say, the vibe has been off for much of the past month. It’s been off since Prince Harry made his quick, solo appearance at the coronation. It was frankly chilling to watch the British media decide, en masse, to question, mock and misrepresent the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s run-in with the “paparazzi” in New York. I still believe that there was some kind of plan, some kind of operation, and it was thwarted by Harry, Meghan, their security and the NYPD. How much of this vibe-shift is related to Harry’s court appearance this week in London, for his trial against the Mirror Group? Perhaps some of it is related, but I don’t think it’s solely about this trial. One thing is for sure though – hit dogs holler, and the British royal commentators don’t know what to do with themselves or how to speak about Harry’s crusade against them. See also: Camilla Tominey’s latest at the Telegraph.

Prince Harry is due to give evidence this week in his court case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for unlawful information gathering. In this episode of Royal Insight, Camilla Tominey explains how the Duke’s court cases are a double edged sword.

“If Harry thinks he has a claim for phone hacking and he wants to go all the way through the courts to win it, then fair play to him; having said that, even if he wins, he also loses,” she says.

“Having divulged more private information in his ongoing quest to protect his privacy, even if he wins in court, Harry may end up losing in the long run. Harry is a man on a mission to reform the press and feels it is his life’s purpose to do so. It’s very backward looking trying to avenge the people he thinks caused his mother’s death.”

“Prince Harry sees himself as a champion for a different media. To Harry, if he has to write damaging things about his family, then so be it. This is the bigger prize – reform of the media.”

“Is there a noble aim at the heart of what Prince Harry is trying to do – yes. I don’t think most people myself included, are happy with the idea of paparazzi pursuing celebrities in car chases, it’s not safe.”

[From The Telegraph]

“It’s very backward looking trying to avenge the people he thinks caused his mother’s death.” Think about what kind of deranged chutzpah it takes to say that with a straight face, to make the argument that seeking justice is “very backward looking.” For Tominey, I guess people reporting and charging rapists and murderers are very backward looking too. And again, while Diana’s death affected every single part of Harry’s life, make no mistake – this trial isn’t about “paparazzi and car chases.” It’s about phone hacking, blagging and palace briefings. This is just Tominey – and all of the royal commentators – being scared to death that they’re about to be exposed, that accountability might come for them too.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attending the press conference during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

San Francisco, CA – Prince Harry, ‘chief impact officer’ at coaching platform BetterUp, appears onstage with BetterUp co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux at the ‘BetterUp Uplift’ two-day event at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, CA. Harry and Alexi spoke for 40 minutes onstage at the event. They discussed children, International Women’s Day and their respective careers. BetterUp is based in San Francisco. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 8 MARCH 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

London, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry pictured leaving the Royal Court of Justice in London. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 27 MARCH 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Mario Pietrangeli / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

London, UNITED KINGDOM – Howrah, INDIA – March 30, 2023, London, England, United Kingdom: Prince HARRY, Duke of Sussex, leaves the High Courts after attending the 4th day of the privacy case preliminary hearing against Associated Newspapers. (Credit Image: © Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire) Pictured: 20230330_zip_k172_004.jpg BACKGRID USA 30 MARCH 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* Pictured: Prince Harry

New York, NY – Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and her mother Doria Ragland depart The Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 16 MAY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Fernando Ramales / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*