In a dramatic turn of events, Prince Harry’s ongoing lawsuit against a major tabloid publisher could plunge him back into an era of “reputational chaos.” This follows a judge’s order for the prince to explain the deletion of messages exchanged with his memoir ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer. The revelation came during a recent episode of Newsweek’s “The Royal Report,” leaving fans devastated and concerned for Harry’s public image.

Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, shared insights on the case, highlighting the potential for it to become “very messy.” Prince Harry is embroiled in a legal battle against Rupert Murdoch-owned News Group Newspapers (NGN), alleging that the publisher engaged in illegal activities to source stories about his private life from the 1990s to the 2010s. These stories appeared in publications such as The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.

The core of the controversy lies in Harry’s failure to preserve potentially relevant documents. During a court hearing in London, Harry was accused of destroying evidence and was subsequently ordered to provide a written witness statement explaining the deletion of drafts and messages related to his memoir. His legal team disclosed that while they had searched through thousands of documents, the messages with Moehringer could not be retrieved as they were sent via the Signal messaging app and had since been wiped. They also asserted that Harry did not discuss the lawsuit with the author.

NGN’s legal counsel and Harry’s critics have seized upon this, accusing him of deliberately destroying evidence. This accusation is a significant setback for Harry, who, along with his wife Meghan Markle, has been working hard to improve their reputations following a tumultuous period earlier in the year.

Royston pointed out the irony and potential damage of the situation: “The whole thing though does look like it’s at risk of getting very messy to me and that it’s potentially at risk of becoming a kind of reputational chaos of the kind that I had really hoped to see Harry put behind him.”

The case’s timeline adds another layer of complexity. NGN argues that Harry was aware he could bring allegations to court before 2013, which would invalidate his lawsuit filed in 2019. In Britain, legal claims must be filed within six years of the claimant becoming aware of their potential right to sue.

NGN has submitted a large disclosure request to identify evidence that Harry knew he could file a lawsuit earlier. This includes emails, text messages, WhatsApp data, and memoir drafts. The missing Signal messages have intensified scrutiny and speculation about Harry’s actions.

Royston expressed his concerns: “I think Harry’s allowed himself to be mired in controversy and negativity and negative emotions and that caused him and Meghan a lot of damage earlier in the year. And now they’ve done a really great job of putting a lot of that behind them. But these court cases are just this kind of legacy of the era at which they were constantly at war fighting on multiple fronts.”