- Daily Mail royal editor denies using private investigator to unlawfully obtain information.
- Evidence suggests investigator obtained airline flight details through improper means.
- Payments and emails raise questions about nature of information gathering work.
Rebecca English, a royal editor at the Daily Mail, has rejected claims that she employed a private investigator to unlawfully gather information about Prince Harry and his former relationships. Her byline appears on six articles that form part of Harry’s legal action against Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail. Seven claimants are suing the publisher for allegedly using improper information gathering techniques. The publisher denies all allegations and maintains that every story was gathered through legitimate means.
The case centers on the investigator Mike Behr, based in South Africa, whom English described as simply a freelance journalist helping with African stories. During cross-examination at London’s high court, English was confronted with an email Behr had sent containing precise flight information for Chelsy Davy during her relationship with Prince Harry in December 2007. The email suggested placing someone next to Davy during her holiday with Harry. English stated she had no recollection of receiving this communication and would never request such information.
The claimants’ lead barrister David Sherborne argued that airline flight information could only come from unlawfully accessing the airline’s computer systems. He characterized this as a “blag,” meaning obtaining information through deceptive practices. English maintained she never asked Behr for such flight details under any circumstances. She suggested that information for the story about Harry and Davy’s “make-or-break holiday” instead came from University of Leeds students who were friends with Davy.
A 2006 email exchange revealed Behr asking another journalist whether he should “take the cost of the airline searches out” of previously paid money, noting he had billed English £200 for half the cost. In 2014 communications, Behr suggested a £350 payment from English for “Harry work” did not adequately compensate him, referring cryptically to “going out on a limb.” English explained she paid Behr daily rates rather than fees for specific information. She characterized him as difficult and manipulative, often pressuring her for additional payment during telephone conversations.
Sherborne contended that Behr’s complaints about insufficient compensation implied the £350 payment failed to cover bribes paid to obtain unlawfully obtained information about Harry and his then-girlfriend Cressida Bonas. English firmly rejected this interpretation, repeatedly denying she ever used Behr to obtain improperly accessed hotel or airline information. She attributed the email exchange to monitoring a charity trek Harry was conducting in Antarctica, maintaining her position throughout the proceedings.
