The Duke of Sussex has broken down in a London courtroom, leveling a devastating accusation against Associated Newspapers: that the powerful publisher orchestrated a campaign of surveillance designed to drive him to "drugs and drink" and potentially suicide.

In a testimony that left the High Court in stunned silence, Prince Harry detailed how the Daily Mail's parent company allegedly commissioned private investigators to bug his calls, track his movements, and "blag" his flight records. The objective, he claimed, was not just to sell newspapers, but to destabilize his mental health and destroy his marriage to Meghan Markle, whose life he said they made "an absolute misery."

"Paranoid Beyond Belief"

Fighting back tears, the Duke described a life lived in a fishbowl of paranoia, where trust was impossible and friends were wrongly suspected of leaking secrets. "They wanted to drive me paranoid beyond belief, isolating me," Harry told the court, his voice wavering with emotion. He rejected the publisher's defense that stories were sourced from his social circle, asserting instead that they were the fruit of illegal espionage.

The case has drawn sharp parallels to the hounding of his late mother, Princess Diana, a point Harry underscored by framing the litigation as a necessary stand against a "criminal" media culture. Key revelations from the testimony include:

• Systematic Surveillance: Allegations of listening devices placed in private homes and cars.
• Targeting Meghan: A deliberate strategy to vilify the Duchess of Sussex, forcing the couple's exit from the UK.
• The "Blagging" Network: Use of fraudulent means to obtain private medical and financial records.

The Kenyan Connection

For observers in Nairobi, the testimony resonates deeply with the post-colonial discourse on media ethics and privacy. The "tabloid culture" Harry describes is often mirrored in local gossip columns, but the scale of the alleged industrial espionage—involving millions of shillings in payments to private eyes—exposes the dark underbelly of the British press.

As the trial continues, it pits a Prince against the Fourth Estate in a battle that could redefine privacy laws. For Harry, however, the cost is already paid. "It is fundamentally wrong to put us through this again," he said, "when all we wanted was an apology."