Prince Harry’s court case: BBC documentary inspired by Mirror New Group phone hacking case, who is in it?

Over a decade ago, phone hacking was launched into the public eye after The Guardian revealed that Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World had intercepted the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler.

While talk surrounding the unlawful information gathering techniques hushed when Murdoch closed down the century-old newspaper company and the Leveson Inquiry published their recommendations, focus quickly dialled up again when Prince Harry took the Mirror News Group to London’s High Court in 2023.

The Duke of Sussex became the first senior royal to take to the witness stand in 130 years as he sought to bring justice against Piers Morgan and his ‘earwigging journalists’ after he alleged they not only hacked into his mother Princess Diana's private messages but also unlawfully targeted him as a youngster to publish damning articles.

100 other high-profile claimants joined Prince Harry in his ongoing case against MGN including Cheryl Cole and soap star Nikki Sanderson, but other recognisable names have been coming to the forefront to not only shine further light on their personal intrusion but also continue to raise questions about the legitimacy of British press.

As a result of Prince Harry’s quest to hold MGN papers to account, the BBC are set to air a documentary called Scandalous: Phone Hacking Scandal that offers some context to the royal’s pursuit as well as give those celebs previously silenced by settlements a voice.

What is the BBC documentary about?

Created by BAFTA-winning film-maker James Newton, the BBC Two documentary follows two years of lawsuits that centred on tabloid phone-hacking scandals by analysing evidence and speaking to alleged victims.

Newton hears testimonies from the likes of Sienna Miller, Hugh Grant, Shobna Gulati, Heather Mills and the families of murder victims who have been affected by the press, before interviewing from senior editors at the Sun and News of the World.

It comes as Prince Harry’s court case revealed the Mirror Group has paid out £100 million in costs and damages to ‘settle 600 claims of phone hacking since 2015’, per the BBC.

What happened to Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant?

Ahead of the BBC doc airing at 9pm tonight (15 June), some may remember reading that in 2021, actress Sienna Miller was paid a large sum of money after she brought forward a case against the Sun newspaper.

Despite the significant pay-out, Sienna was ultimately given no admission as to whether they had hacked into her phone and unlawfully gathered information through private investigators about her relationships and pregnancy at the time, after confessing she did not have ‘countless millions’ to go against the tabloids in court.

Speaking for the first time on camera since the case, Sienna recounted her former relationship with actor Jude Law, who cheated on her with his children’s nanny who in turn sold the story, before she discovered she was pregnant.

Articles that were published at the time reportedly made Sienna’s decision to terminate the pregnancy ‘horrendously public’, forcing the actress to interrogate five people close to her as to whether they were selling information.

The BBC reported that Sienna said: “"I remember my doctor's office phoning me and saying, 'We've sent the records that you'd asked for'. And me saying, 'I didn't ask for any records'."

Sienna is not the only individual given a voice in Newton’s documentary as Hugh Grant speaks up following a High Court judge dismissing the actor’s claim to sue the Sun newspaper for allegedly hacking his phone, stating it was ‘launched too long after’.

Hugh Grant has accused News Group Newspapers of three burglaries that took place in an "unlawful act" for stories as well as activities such as ‘landline bugging’.

What happened to Prince Harry’s US visa court case?

As the BBC documentary focuses on Prince Harry’s legal pursuits this side of the pond, the Duke is at home in Montecito with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children.

However, the Spare author is fighting another battle in America as the Heritage Foundation went to court last week to try and force the Department of Homeland Security to respond to their Freedom of Information request about Prince Harry’s US visa.

The foundation was intrigued as to whether Prince Harry had filled in the section determining his history of using drugs, as spoken about in his tell-all memoir, and whether this should have impacted his entrance to the states.

Ahead of the BBC documentary being released, US officials have also blocked the release of Prince Harry’s visa files stating it is not in the public interest to do so.

When can I watch Scandalous: Phone Hacking Scandal?

Scandalous: Phone Hacking Scandal will be available to watch on BBC Two on 15 June from 9pm.