If Prince Harry wins his phone-hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers he will have to thank a legal precedent set by an apprentice chimney sweep more than 300 years ago.

The royal’s case against the newspaper publisher ended on Friday after a seven-week trial, with the prince asking the court to award him more than £440,000 in damages – potentially one of the biggest ever phone-hacking settlements.

The case relates to 33 articles published between 1996 and 2009 that Harry says must have been obtained illegally, through intercepting voicemails or other illegal activity. The judge, who is expected to deliver his verdict in the autumn, could award additional aggravated damages if he finds in the prince’s favour and then concludes the articles caused significant distress.

The trial forced the world’s media to re-examine the excesses of the British tabloid newspapers – as well as the roles of the former Mirror editor Piers Morgan and the network of private investigators willing to do almost anything for an exclusive story.

When Harry gave evidence earlier this month he became the first royal in 130 years to appear in a witness box, describing how press intrusion destroyed his relationships and left him with “bouts of depression and paranoia”. He came close to tears, insisting there was “hard evidence” he was illegally targeted by the Mirror’s journalists and would feel “some injustice” if he lost the case.

Harry’s challenge is that, during two months of legal debate, the court saw no conclusive proof that his mobile phone voicemails were intercepted by journalists working for the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, or People. Invoices were produced showing that private investigators targeted the prince, though with one minor exception, the Mirror denies that necessarily showed they were acting illegally.

No journalists gave evidence to say that they hacked Harry’s voicemails. No call data from the Mirror to Harry’s mobile phone was found, even though it has been discovered in many comparable cases. No one admitted digging up illegal information on the prince.

Instead, the main direct evidence that Harry was a victim of illegal activity by the Mirror is that his mobile number was in the personal organiser of one journalist, a number of call records to his friends, and sets of invoices to private investigators for research on the prince and his associates.

Instead, his case is largely circumstantial, relying on the general culture at the Mirror’s newspapers and the existence of mysteriously attributed information in articles about the prince. Both sides acknowledge that intrusive phone hacking of celebrities’ voicemails was widespread at the Mirror’s newspapers in the 2000s. And there is no dispute that the Mirror’s newspapers published many articles about the prince’s private life, which he found intrusive.

But making the final jump that the Mirror’s stories about Harry came from illegal sources is harder.

This is where the young chimney sweep from Georgian London comes in. In 1722 an apprentice named Armory found a piece of jewellery and took it to a goldsmith to be valued. The goldsmith swiped the gemstones and handed back the empty metal case to the apprentice. In a subsequent court case the judge ruled that in the absence of the original jewels, it must be assumed that they were of the highest possible value that would fit the empty sockets where the jewels once sat.

David Sherborne, Harry’s barrister, cited the chimney sweep’s case in support of Prince Harry and the other individuals in the trial. He told the high court that key evidence that would support Harry’s claim is missing because it has been destroyed on purpose. He said millions of emails had been deleted, burner phones had been disposed of, and key witnesses such as Piers Morgan were not called to give evidence. He said this left “enormous holes – we say fatal holes – in the defendant’s case”.

Andrew Green KC, the Mirror’s barrister, argued there simply never was any evidence that Harry was targeted illegally by Mirror Group Newspapers. He said the newspaper publisher has been swept up in Harry’s broader battles with the British media.

The case – in which Harry was just one of about 100 individuals bringing claims – has been heard without a jury, meaning the only opinion that matters is that of Mr Justice Fancourt. He is expected to deliver his verdict later this year, with no updates until then.

What is less clear is what victory looks like for Harry and whether the trial alone counts as vindication. Previous phone-hacking legal hearings have been attended by a small number of reporters while his appearance attracted hundreds of journalists, camera crews, and photographers from around the world.

One potential outcome is a messy verdict where all sides lose to some degree. Harry could be defeated on the phone-hacking aspects of his claim while still being found, on the balance of probabilities, to have been illegally targeted by private investigators. The Mirror could win on some specifics but lose its attempt to stop future phone-hacking claims that are already likely to cost the company about £150m. A number of other individuals could have their reputations sullied in a judgment that could make fresh rulings on who knew what about phone hacking.

But by the time we know the result of this case, Harry could already have moved on. The prince is waiting to find out whether judges will let him proceed with two entirely separate phone-hacking claims against the publisher of the Sun and the publisher of the Daily Mail. If they go ahead, he is likely to return to court to give evidence early next year.

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Harry Ghiringhelli died surrounded by his family on March 14, 2023 in Fairfax, California. Harry was born on February 10, 1934 at Cottage Hospital in San Rafael, California. He was the third of four children born to Joseph Ghiringhelli and Antionette (Pagani) Ghiringhelli. Harry lived in San Rafael until 1937 when his parents bought and moved into Deer Park Villa, a 10 acre estate and restaurant in Fairfax. While still at school, Harry began working at Deer Park Mansion, where his main job was to keep the bar stocked. As he got older, he learned bartender and chef skills. When not behind the bar or in the kitchen, he acted as Deer Park’s plumber, electrician and contractor. All the skills he taught himself by meticulously observing professionals once hired to make various improvements at Deer Park In 1951, Harry was a sophomore at Marin Catholic. Harry was a great basketball player, being named All Northern California Basketball Guard his senior year when Marin Catholic won the state pennant. From 1951 to 1954 he attended college at Santa Clara University and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. It took him an extra quarter to graduate because he kept his class load light so he could travel back to Fairfax to work at Deer Park every weekend after his father fell ill. It was on one of those trips home from college that Harry met his future wife. Jaqueline “Jackie” Biasotti was babysitting for Harry’s sister, Dolores Forni, when Harry came over to watch the only television on the property. They started dating shortly after. When Harry was drafted into the Army in 1957, he and Jackie married and they moved to his first station in San Antonio, Texas. The next year, Harry was assigned to the Presidio in San Francisco. Harry and Jackie moved back to Deer Park and converted the old coach house where they raised their daughters Jo “Joey” and Carol. Harry traveled into town during the week to do his army errands while working at Deer Park Villa every weekend. After Harry was fired, he continued to work full-time at the restaurant. He and Jackie later built a house on a corner of the Deer Park Villa estate, where they spent the rest of their lives as the fix-it-guy, passing on his knowledge of real estate and business to younger generations to the last. Harry has been an outdoorsman all his life. Growing up, he could often be seen running around with his brother Bob in search of game. Duck hunting was a family affair and many of his fondest memories were of his father’s duck club. He enjoyed horseback riding and was known to ride in the city’s parades. He was also an avid fisherman, frequenting the nearby creeks and lakes and San Francisco Bay. Harry’s greatest joys in life were being with, caring for, and feeding family and friends. He was a caring and considerate father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle. He always did everything to help people and was very proud that he and his family had never betrayed anyone. Harry was a loving husband to Jackie for 64 years. At the end of Jackie’s life, Harry was a compassionate caregiver until her death in 2021. Harry is survived by his two daughters, Joey (Ken Thornton) and Carol, his grandsons Bryan Carlson (Katie) and Annie Thornton, his two great-granddaughters, Remy and Lucy, his brother Jon Ghiringhelli, and many nephews and nieces who loved him dearly. A memorial service will be celebrated Monday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anselm’s Church, 97 Shady Lane, Ross, California. All friends and relatives are welcome. A reception follows at Deer Park Villa. In lieu of flowers, you can donate to Jesuits West at https://www.jesuitswest.org/support-us/donate-now/. Supported by Monte’s Chapel of the Hills, San Anselmo, CA.

Published by Marin Independent Journal on March 19, 2023.

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Harry Snyder
September 29, 1937 – February 10, 2023
Harry M. Snyder, whose work as a consumer and health advocate has positively transformed the lives and health of Californians, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 10, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family. He was 85 years old.
Snyder was born in Los Angeles in 1937. His father, Paul Snyder, was a salesman and plumber, and his mother, Ruth C. Snyder, later became an artist. He attended Hamilton High School and then the University of Southern California and received a law degree from UCLA. In 1970, Snyder joined the Peace Corps as an associate director and later as a director. With his wife Vivian and their children, Snyder first moved to Bangalore, India, then Apia, Western Samoa and Kathmandu, Nepal. Snyder ran the various offices of the Peace Corps, working with state personnel and local diplomats, and coordinating volunteers who worked to support small business, education, agriculture, and government functions.
In 1975, Snyder drove with his family from Kathmandu to Paris in a Volkswagen van and later established a new home in Mill Valley, California.
Snyder became West Coast Director of the Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, in 1976, where he earned a reputation in the state legislature and corporate headquarters as one of California’s most persistent and outspoken consumer lobbyists. During his tenure, he strove for tougher regulations for utilities, insurers, and business interests, institutions he frequently accused of inciting fear and hollowing out Californians.
He led a class action lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank for allegedly refusing checking accounts to customers without a credit card, and successfully shut down adult RV parks that denied families access to low-income housing. He took over milk pricing, pushed for affordable earthquake insurance, and held for-profit healthcare providers accountable for their promises when they switched from nonprofits.
He took his advocacy seriously but approached his work with humor.
“Free the Cheese,” was his slogan at the Consumers Union in 1981 to successfully persuade the federal government to release 30 million pounds of cheddar cheese stored in federal warehouses for distribution to needy families across the country. Pushing for surplus food distribution to low-income people was a major concern for Snyder. He also lobbied for the passage of federal and state legislation establishing markets for certified farmers.
“It’s not an act of kindness,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle after successfully trying to get health insurer Blue Shield to offer benefits for certain medical conditions and end waits on pre-existing conditions.
When he resigned from the Consumers Union in 2002 at the age of 65, the LA Times headlined: “Activist Retires From Consumer Group, But Not Fray.”
Over the next two decades, Snyder continued to fight for marginalized and underrepresented Californians. He taught advocacy at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and co-founded a broader advocacy initiative at the school to help leaders learn how to create evidence-based systemic policy change. Hundreds of students who attended the school’s health advocacy seminars later became public health advocates themselves. In 2020, he co-authored Advocacy for Public Health Policy Change: An Urgent Imperative, published by the American Public Health Association.
Snyder was also a director at Cy Pres Funds and distributed more than $70 million in class action fines to appropriate recipients.
Harry and his wife Vivian Snyder were longtime students and practitioners of Vipassana meditation under the guidance of their teacher SN Goenka. For decades they taught 10-day meditation courses in Vipassana centers and in prisons.
They moved to Santa Cruz, California in 2013 and enjoyed traveling with grandchildren, hiking in Point Reyes, gardening and reading while he continued his work.
Harry Snyder is survived by his wife Vivian C. Snyder, three children and eight grandchildren.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on February 15, 2023.

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Prince Harry continued his longstanding commitment to mental health in a moving speech in honor of Veterans Day. On November 10, Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s Salute to Freedom Gala in New York City, where the Duke of Sussex presented the 2021 Intrepid Valor Awards. Harry spoke about the importance of dealing with mental health and explained why it is important to be mindful of the other types of pain that service members experience.

“I would also like to briefly talk about something else that until recently existed in the dark: the invisible wounds that we are all prone to,” he said, according to E! On-line. “The scars inside that nobody sees. For too long, invisible injuries have been treated like this – invisibly – and were intended to be swept under the carpet with shame, feelings of guilt or simply incomprehension.” He added, “Still, we now know that the mind is like a muscle. It experiences trauma and pain, whether in conflict or at home, in uniform or not. It needs training … and rest and care, no” No matter who you are and no matter what you do. Our physical and mental health are one and the same, and as much as we try to be physically fit, we must also be mentally fit. “

He also said his concern for mental health among veterans encouraged him to start HeadFit – a digital fitness program dedicated to the mental wellbeing of military personnel. As someone who served in the army for 10 years, Harry said he understood how “soldiers often feel isolated” after leaving the armed forces, and how this lifestyle is a nostalgia for “purpose, focus, service.” “Leaving others and being part of a team.” “My military experience made me what I am today,” he said, “and I will always be grateful to the people I have served with – wherever we were in the world. “

Aside from his touching speech, Harry has taken other steps to raise mental health awareness, such as working with Oprah Winfrey on developing a mental health series and serving as chief impact officer at wellness startup BetterUp in San Francisco. Regarding his new role, Harry said, “I intend to make an impact on people’s lives.”

Image source: Getty / Theo Wargo

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