Prince Harry once exchanged a series of flirty messages with a journalist over several weeks before he realized who she was.
The messages surfaced at London’s High Court during the closing stages of the royal's privacy case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Testimony in the case concluded March 31.
The Duke of Sussex and six other claimants, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, are suing over alleged privacy violations from the early 1990s through the 2010s. They claim U.K. tabloids engaged in the "clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering" for two decades, according to attorney David Sherborne.
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In conversations between December 2011 and January 2012, the prince, 41, referred to Charlotte Griffiths, a Mail on Sunday journalist, as "sugar" and signed off with "mwah," followed by strings of kisses, The Telegraph reported.
Messages were published by The Telegraph and The Times on April 1. Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell, which handles the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.
"They met at a party hosted by a mutual friend," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. "Griffiths referred to him as ‘Mr. Mischief’ and joked about a ‘weekend of naughtiness.’"
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"The messages exchanged over 10 years ago were revealed during Harry’s privacy lawsuit," said Chard.
"This revelation has sparked debate about journalist ethics and the royal’s private life. However, this could well complicate Harry’s case and undermine his credibility. People continue to question his consistency and judgment. It certainly weakens his argument that the publisher used unlawful methods to gather information about him."
"Everyone is waiting for the final update," Chard added.
The messages appeared to indicate that Harry struck up a friendship with Griffiths, the Mail on Sunday’s former diary editor. She is now the outlet’s editor at large.
The Telegraph reported that Harry sent the first message in 2011, telling Griffiths: "It’s H,incase u were confused by name and picture!!! X."
Griffiths responded, "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?!"
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"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"
Harry reportedly replied that it was "without doubt the best of those weekends I’ve been to".
"What a crowd," he wrote. "Never laughed so much in 24hrs!! Mr mischief? How do I get that title ... l was surely no worse than anyone else!!"
Harry also shared 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 outlet reported.
"Hope work isn’t too dull wherever u are?!" he said.
Antony White KC, representing Associated Newspapers, told the court that he was responsible for mistakenly claiming that "Mr. Mischief" was the name Harry used for himself, People magazine reported. It was the name Griffiths adopted for the prince at the time.
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The Telegraph reported that just over 10 days later, Harry told Griffiths that she had "missed a good party last night." She replied, referring to Harry as "H Bomb," that "We missed you so much at Arthur’s last week."
"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!!" Harry replied.
"Just wish I could have been there ... especially now that you’re there!" he appeared to write. "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."
Griffiths joined the Mail on Sunday in 2008, People magazine reported. She served as its diary editor from 2013 to 2020.
Harry told the court that once he realized Griffiths worked for the Mail, he cut off all contact with her. He also told the High Court he didn’t have friendships with journalists and that no one from his close circle would talk to the media.
Griffiths said she and Harry were at a weekend country house party in 2011 hosted by Arthur Landon, a film producer and one of the prince’s oldest friends, The Times revealed.
According to the outlet, the messages referred to "Skippy," the nickname of Tom Inskip, one of Harry’s closest friends. The messages in question took place after Harry and his girlfriend Chelsy Davy called it quits.
Griffiths was a student at Leeds University at the same time as Davy, 40, the outlet shared. Griffiths told the court she continued to "socialize in similar high-society circles ever since." She also went to nightclubs like Boujis, a popular hotspot with Harry and his friends.
"Perhaps Harry made a very wise decision after it had been revealed he broke all contact," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. "It must be stated there is no love lost between Harry and Associated Newspapers."
Associated Newspapers has denied the allegations made by the claimants, calling them "preposterous." The publisher said the roughly 50 articles in question were based on legitimate sources, including acquaintances willing to talk about their famous friends.
A ruling will be made at a later date.
