Prince Harry’s reputation has taken a blow after a series of flirtatious messages between him and UK journalist Charlotte Griffiths were revealed yesterday (March 31).
The development came as part of his ongoing privacy violation case against Associated Newspapers, which manages the publication Griffiths works for. The documents were presented at London’s High Court.
Highlights
- Prince Harry’s flirtatious messages to journalist Charlotte Griffiths were revealed in the ongoing High Court case against Associated Newspapers.
- The texts show playful and intimate banter, including movie night references and nicknames like “Sugar” and “Mr Mischief.”
- Harry had previously stated he cut ties with the journalist after learning of her occupation.
The Prince reportedly nicknamed Griffiths “Sugar” and texted her about a cozy movie night, while she called him “Mr. Mischief” and referenced an adventurous weekend they had spent together.
Other exchanges showed the two yearning for each other, despite a source close to the Duke claiming he cut ties with Griffiths only hours after meeting her.
“There's a question about whether Harry lied to the court about his dealings with this reporter,” a reader wrote. “The messages, the defense says, indicate a much more extensive relationship than Harry told the court.”
Prince Harry’s texts to Charlotte Griffiths were aired amid his battle over privacy violations
Image credits: Getty/P van Katwijk
Prince Harry sent his first message to Griffiths, a Daily Mail employee, on December 4, 2011, telling her, “It’s H, in case u were confused by name and pictures!!! X.”
Griffiths replied, “Hello, Mr Mischief… Did you get home OK? Slash, did you actually find your car, and did you beat Arthur down the motorway, more importantly?”
“Arthur” refers to Arthur Landon, the duo’s mutual friend, at whose house party they met.
Griffiths added, “What a fun weekend of naughtiness — can’t we all get up to no good in the countryside every weekend, da*n it. Smooches, CG Strings.”
Image credits: Getty/David M. Benett
Prince Harry replied that it was one of the best weekends of his life. He added, “What a crowd. Never laughed so much in 24 hours.”
He went on to inquire about the nickname Griffiths gave her in the following text, arguing he was “surely no worse than anyone else.”
Just over ten days later, on December 15, Prince Harry texted the journalist saying she had missed a “good party last night.”
Then, on January 22, 2012, Griffiths replied, saying she missed him at “Arthur’s last week.”
Prince Harry responded, “I wish I were there, Sugar, but unfortunately stuck in Cornwall doing Army stuff.” He went on: “Miss our movie snuggles. I’m off communication all week in case u think I’m being rude. Keep me posted.”
The extensive conversation between the two contradicts The Daily Beast’s report, which cited a source claiming that Prince Harry severed ties with Griffiths after learning she was a journalist.
“Suing Daily Mail backfired,” many social media users joked after the chats made headlines.
The verdict in the privacy breach case brought by Prince Harry and others has been reserved
Image credits: Getty/Joshua Sammer
Associated Newspapers were accused by Prince Harry of unlawful activities ranging from hacking voicemail messages and bugging landlines to obtaining private information by deception in January 2026.
He was joined in the lawsuit by high-profile figures such as Elton John, David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, Sir Simon Hughes, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
The publisher rejected the case as being “preposterous smears.”
Image credits: Getty/Max Mumby/Indigo
Over almost ten weeks of argument, Judge Matthew Nicklin heard evidence from the claimants and from numerous current and former senior journalists at Associated.
David Sherborne, the lawyer representing Prince Harry and others, said there was a culture at the publisher where journalists used private investigators to obtain information for them.
The defendant’s lawyer, meanwhile, argued there was no evidence to back up the allegations.
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At the end of the trial, on the final day of last month, Nicklin said, “The remaining task is, of course, now mine.”
The judge added that he would be “toiling away on judgment” full-time after Easter but did not indicate how long the task might take.
Amid his chat with Griffiths becoming public, netizens stood by Prince Harry and asked for attention to shift to ex-Prince Andrew
Image credits: Getty/Max Mumby/Indigo
“Nice try, but we like Prince Harry, and these texts are from a decade ago when he was single,” one wrote, while another added, “Can I just say he comes across as a very pleasant guy in the texts.”
“Can we please read Andrew and Epstein’s emails? That’s where the real crimes lie,” a third remarked.
“Let’s talk about the other royal who has not been prosecuted yet,” another commented.
King Charles’s younger brother, Andrew, was stripped of his royal titles in October 2025 over his connection with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
At the time, Buckingham Palace also said he would move out of his official residence, the Royal Lodge in Norfolk, in early 2026.
When a picture of Andrew hovering over a woman on all fours was released as part of the Epstein Files made public by the US Department of Justice in January, the former royal faced immediate consequences, with King Charles reportedly rushing his eviction.
Image credits: Getty/Dave Benett
The monarch had assured, via a statement in February, that the law would “take its course” in the Andrew-Epstein case.
However, no significant progress has been made so far, except for a brief arrest of his brother the same month on suspicion of sharing confidential government reports with Epstein.
"Snuggle buddy?" Netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on the messages
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