Names and faces
Prince Harry is suing The Sun and the Daily Mirror, two of Britain’s most popular tabloid newspapers, over allegations of phone hacking. Buckingham Palace confirmed Saturday that claims regarding “illegal interception of voicemail messages” were filed on Harry’s behalf. The palace declined to say more or provide details “given the particulars of the claims are not yet public.” News Group Newspapers, which owns The Sun and the now defunct News of the World, acknowledged the prince’s High Court action while Reach, which owns the
Mirror, said it was “aware that proceedings have been issued” but hasn’t yet received notice of them. The cases escalate Harry’s fight with the British tabloids. It comes days after his American wife, Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, sued the Mail, citing copyright infringement, misuse of private information and violating the U.K.’s data protection law after the newspaper published a letter she wrote to her father. Harry then lambasted British tabloids after Meghan filed her lawsuit Tuesday, saying in a statement that his wife’s lawsuit, which was months in the making, was a response to a “ruthless campaign” to smear her by creating “lie after lie at her expense” during her maternity leave. British tabloid newspapers have paid millions of dollars to settle claims that their employees had hacked the phone voicemails of celebrities, politicians and others in the public eye. The prince’s lawsuits likely date back years. The News of
the World was shut down in 2011, at the height of the hacking scandal and when its former editors later went on trial, a court heard evidence that indicated Harry along with his brother, Prince William, were targets of the paper’s illicit interception of phone messages.
Zac Hanson of the pop music band Hanson is recovering after a motorcycle crash in Oklahoma last week. The 33-year-old Hanson said in posts on Twitter, Facebook and the Tulsa-based band’s website that he is recovering after suffering a broken collarbone, three broken ribs and a cracked scapula. Hanson said he was able to walk away from the Tulsa crash thanks to “good quality protective gear.” Details of the crash were not revealed. Hanson said he will be replaced as drummer during a coming tour but will sing. Hanson is the youngest of three brothers who formed the band in the early 1990s. The band is best-known for the song “MMMBop.”