Prince Harry has faced a wave of public embarrassment after private Facebook messages he exchanged with journalist Charlotte Griffiths were made public during his failed privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of The Daily Mail. The messages, dating back to 2011, include flirtatious language such as references to a "fun weekend of naughtiness," "movie snuggles," and affectionate nicknames like "Griff" and "sugar."
Journalist Breaks Silence on Misinterpreted Messages
Charlotte Griffiths, now Editor at Large of the Mail on Sunday, has broken her silence in a Daily Mail article, insisting the exchanges were innocent and taken out of context. She wrote: "Suddenly those messages, in which I had spoken about the 'fun weekend of naughtiness' and Harry had recalled our 'movie snuggles', were interpreted as evidence of some sort of romantic liaison." Griffiths clarified that the "movie snuggles" referred to sharing a blanket with others present, and the "naughtiness" was about excessive alcohol consumption.
Details of the 'Cinderella's Shoe' Reference
Griffiths also addressed a message where Harry mentioned a "Cinderella's shoe," which sparked misleading headlines. She explained it was simply a pair of borrowed shoes she used to go outside for a cigarette. She recounted an incident where Harry shuffled over to her beanbag, got under her blanket, and put his arm around her. "There was nothing particularly romantic about the sweet gesture," she said, adding that she felt slight discomfort as she was dating someone else at the time.
Legal Battle and Public Scrutiny
The messages emerged during Harry's privacy case, where he testified that he hated the press and never associated with reporters. The defense countered with the messages, showing a seemingly friendly relationship. Griffiths noted the irony of the situation: "As a journalist, I should stress that I have absolutely no problem with being written about. People who hold others to account for a living shouldn't complain when they are scrutinised." She revealed she received tens of thousands of abusive messages, being called a 'harlot' and a 'slut' on social media.
Cyberbullying Hypocrisy
Griffiths highlighted the hypocrisy of Harry and Meghan's campaign against cyberbullying, given the online abuse she faced. "Harry and Meghan have spent years rightly campaigning against cyberbullying and social media algorithms. There is a grim irony, then, in the treatment of Charlotte Griffiths," she wrote. The incident has left many speculating about Meghan's reaction to the public airing of her husband's past flirtatious messages.
