"This Was DESPICABLE!" Katie Nicholl Speaks Out On Being Named In Prince Harry Court Case

I'm going to start with you, Katie, because you were right at the centre of this case.They had 17 of your articles cited by the claimants questioning the veracity of your stories, the way you had got them, the legitimacy of your journalism.Everything about you was trashed in that courtroom.This is what the judge said about you when he ruled completely in favour of the Daily Mail at Manos Sunday.That is a ringing endorsement of you, your character, your journalism, everything, actually.A complete slam dunk.

But I know, because I brought you in to host Royals Uncensored, I know the toll this has taken on you and how difficult it's been for you to have to wait for this sort of sword of Damocles moment, which could dictate how you are viewed for the rest of your career.

Yeah.

How are you feeling in this moment?

Oh, I'm not going to lie, a bit emotional, because this has been... you know, quite a few years of my life, and the many other journalists that have gone through this.And I have worked on Fleet Street now for 20 years.I've been at Vanity Fair for 15 of those.I was at the Mail on Sunday for 17 of those years.And they were wonderful years of journalism.And, you know, I did journalism the hard way, right?

I went out.I went out every night.I partied.I partied with Prince Harry.That story came out in the court when, you know, he couldn't remember but he invited me into the party, into his inner circle.I did things the old -fashioned way.

Went and knocked on doors, curated contacts, got people on side.I remember being told when I was under questioning, but, you know, the Queen's late cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, you know, at the time was a woman in her 70s.Why on earth would she do that?speak to you?This sort of sense of disbelief that these sorts of people would speak to us.Well, they did.

And in all of those years I spent at the Mail on Sunday, I never witnessed anything in terms of what we were accused of doing.And the accusations were despicable.So I feel emotional.I feel Vindicated, Piers, is how I feel.

Well, you've been completely vindicated, as has the mail, completely.I mean, you know, I was telling somebody earlier on a group chat that we're talking about it, I said, Diana used to call me regularly.I used to go round for lunch at Kensington Palace.She'd call me, I'd tape the calls, and she knew I was taping her.I'd send her the copy of the story I was going to run.She, you know, she would send it back with little amendments.

I've got all this, right?So...This idea that Prince Harry seems to want the public to buy into, that every story about him and his family has been gained illegally by terrible journalists, you know, it's just not true.

Well, it's been knocked out.Every single article was legitimately sourced, is Justice Nicklin's findings.And, you know, Paul Dacre's gone on to give a really passionate and emotional speech.

Well, he was editor -in -chief, obviously, at the time of most of this.In his statement, it's worth recounting in full.Prince Harry wrote a sad book which boasted about his killing of 25 Taliban, his drug -taking, and in cringe -making detail, how he lost his virginity.There isn't a laundry in the cosmos big enough to wash all the dirty linen he's aired about his own family.For him to complain about his privacy being evaded takes not just the biscuit, but the whole tin.Poor Harry, I feel sorry for the way a confused and angry young man has been drawn into this case.

The bitter irony is that his mother liked the male, Dinah.We were her paper.We took her side in her acrimonious breakup with Charles.She and I would speak and meet.The male's superb role model.Richard Kaye was her friend and confidant.

The truth is that this trumped -up action, which has cost well over £50 million and wasted a huge amount of valuable court time, should never have been brought to trial.But it did raise these profoundly disturbing questions about the conduct of elements of the legal profession.Today's verdict is not just a victory for Associated's magnificent journalists, several of whom have had a terrible toll imposed on their health and lives, but a free press generally.Make no mistake, this was a conspiracy supported by Hacktoff, an organisation I mean, very strong word support.I saw him actually at a party several weeks ago and I said, I think you're going to win this case because I saw nothing in the trial which said to me that they have proven their case.Now, to be clear, The judge makes it clear he isn't accusing any of the witnesses of lying or trying to mislead the court or anything.

He just does not believe that on any of the cases they looked at, any of the stories, that they proved their case.

Well, there was no evidence, and that was the problem.Now, don't forget, we were being quizzed, you know, forensically, about stories that were written some 20, 23 years ago.I can barely remember what I said 24 hours ago.Right.You know, we all have busy lives.No -one's saying we can recollect absolutely everything that was said and done.

You know, I said this when I was giving evidence.I would have remembered intercepting someone's voicemail.I would have remembered hacking someone's phone.I never did any of those things.I never witnessed any of those things at the mail.And so it is a great day, because they are great journalists.

Yeah.And it's been very upsetting for me to see so many of my esteemed colleagues, amazing people that have devotedtheir lives to their careers at great personal costs, have their reputations tarnished the way that they have been.

And also, you know, Paul touched on people suffering health issues as well.talked very openly and bravely about, you know, you had cancer very seriously.

Yeah.

It nearly killed you.

Yeah.

Right?You've had all that to deal with as well.

Yeah.Well, this case happened...This case came to light literally weeks after my surgery, when I couldn't even walk to the top of the stairs, and yet I was having to get old notebooks out.And thank goodness I kept all my notebooks and had so many records, because they showed that I was acting legitimately and carrying out proper journalistic practices.But, no, it's been... is horrendous and it's had an impact on my life, but I gave evidence because I wasn't going to have these accusations levelled at me anymore.I was fed up with it.

My name was first dragged through the mud at Leveson by Hugh Grant.I wasn't going to have it again.

You know, it's interesting what Paul Dacre said there about Harry just being a rank hypocrite, because nobody has invaded the privacy of the royal family like he has.The stuff he came out with in the book, I mean, it was jaw -dropping.And, you know, I don't want to be a hypocrite and say, in my editor's career, we didn't reveal stories about the Royals.Of course we did.Tom has written books about the Royals.Of course, that's our stocking trade.

And sometimes, let's be honest, sometimes personal stories.Did we sometimes go too personal?Yeah, I'll put my hands up to that.But there's a difference between crossing the line and invading someone's privacy and something that's illegal.

Yeah, and the point I would make is, on hypocrisy, Harry has made a fortune, gazillions of pounds, trashing his family and revealing the most extraordinarily intimate secrets.

Invading everyone else's privacy.

So this is the great royal privacy invader trying to put up this fake swordthe Shining Knight, you know, taking on the journalist for doing exactly what he does all the time and makes vast amounts of money out of it.I mean, it's just the most breathtaking hypocrisy.

And it felt very personal at times.The attacks felt very personal.

What do you feel about him today?

You're all going to hate me for saying this, but there is a bit of me that just...I do feel a bit sorry for him because I think he has been so misguided in all of this.At the end of the day, the only winners here have been the lawyers.Prince Harry is a loser in every respect, but we're the winners too.

You're the winners, actually, and I don't feel sorry for him at all.