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For many years, Prince Harry has had to endure constant speculation and rumors in the tabloids questioning who his real father is. Stories circulated that Princess Diana's former lover, James Hewitt, was Harry's biological father rather than Prince Charles. These rumors took a huge toll on Harry's mental health when he was just a teenager struggling with the loss of his mother. Now, as a married father himself, Harry is taking a stand against these destructive rumors by filing lawsuits against British tabloids for alleged phone hacking and printing such harmful stories.
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One of the tabloid articles Harry is suing over in The Mirror Group newspapers discussed the rumors that Major James Hewitt was actually Harry's father. Another article titled "Plot to deny Harry's DNA" suggested there were attempts to remove Harry from the royal family by casting doubt on his paternity. These rumors first emerged in 2002 but continued to resurface for many years. In various newspapers at the time, it was claimed that Diana had an affair with Hewitt after Harry was born and that he could be Harry's real father.
However, Harry has stated he only learned the full timeline of events in 2014. He now understands that Diana did not meet Hewitt until after his birth. But as a young teenager who had lost his mother only six years prior, these stories felt very real and were incredibly hurtful to Harry. He constantly questioned whether they were deliberately planted to prevent him from remaining in the royal family. The malicious gossip took a severe psychological toll on him during such a vulnerable time in his life.
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Interestingly, Harry revealed the rumor about his paternity was dispelled years before he met his now-wife Meghan Markle, in around 2014 or 2015. This was over a decade after the stories first surfaced and around the time Prince George was born. So for many years, Harry was left wondering who his real father was due to the snide speculation in the tabloids. It wasn't until he was in his late 20s/early 30s that he finally received the confirmation and clarity he deserved much earlier.
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Harry's lawsuit also references anotherMirror article from 2002 titled "Plot to steal Harry's DNA." It detailed plans to obtain Harry's DNA secretly and sell it to foreign newspapers to test against Charles' and Hewitt's DNA to determine his true paternity. The article claimed St. James's Palace believed Harry's DNA could fetch tens of thousands from tabloids. It spoke of a potential "honey trap" set up in Spain to acquire the DNA, though Harry doubts Palace sources would share such private information posing security risks.
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Adding insult to injury, Harry described how Prince Charles used to jokingly tell a story about meeting a patient at Broadmoor mental hospital who believed he was the Prince of Wales. Charles would say "Who knows if I am really your father - perhaps your real dad is in Broadmoor, my dear boy" and laugh. But for Harry, living under the constant shadow of the paternity rumors, it was an unbearably cruel and unfunny joke. The red hair Hewitt and Harry shared also fueled speculation, preying on outdated ideas about genetics and parentage. The tabloids greedily lapped up anything hinting Charles may not be Harry's biological father.
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This constant doubting of his identity took a psychological toll on Harry from a young age. While the rumors have now been debunked by time and Harry's own confirmation, the damage had already been done to his mental health and relationship with his father. Even to this day, gossip rags continue attempting to cast Harry out of the royal family by ressurrecting debunked claims. But Harry has had enough of his and his mother's privacy being invaded for profit.
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Through lawsuits like this one, Harry is taking a stand against pervasive media intrusion into his personal life and the lives of his family. He seeks to protect his wife and children from the same treatment and hold tabloids accountable for the very real harm their baseless stories can cause. While the damage of past rumors may be done, Harry is ensuring future generations of the royal family have a legal means to protect themselves and find justice from such vulture-like reporting. After years of silently suffering psychological turmoil, Prince Harry is proudly and rightfully reclaiming his own narrative.
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