Prince Harry says Daily Mail scoops made him ‘paranoid beyond belief’

By BRIAN MELLEY

LONDON (AP) — The third and final round in Prince Harry ‘s battle with the British tabloids began Monday with his lawyer alleging that the Daily Mail and its sister Sunday newspaper engaged in a “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” for two decades.

Attorney David Sherborne said a longstanding culture of hiring private investigators who practiced “dark arts” to spy on celebrities for scoops had left Harry distressed and isolated.

It was “disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just for the Mail to make money out of it,” Harry said, according to his lawyer’s written opening statement.

The intrusions were “terrifying” for his loved ones, created a “massive strain” on his personal relationships, and the distrust and suspicion they caused left Harry “paranoid beyond belief,” Sherborne said.

Tens of millions of dollars are on the line in the privacy invasion case in which the Duke of Sussex is joined by Elton John, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, and others who claim the publisher of the Mail hired private investigators to bug their cars, obtain their personal records and eavesdrop on phone calls.

Associated Newspapers Ltd. has denied the allegations, called them preposterous and said the articles in question were reported with legitimate sources that included “le...