Royal fans, it seems we may be getting some insight into how information moves around their closest circles. A new investigative report by Byline Investigates shows some seriously shocking allegations involving the UK tabloid The Sun.
BI cites a formal "Letter Before Action" sent by Prince Harry's attorneys to The Sun. The letter's allegations connect The Sun's executive editor Dan Wootton with a source inside Kensington Palace. It details the belief that Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary, Christian Jones, who is currently employed by the Cambridges, shared inside information with his partner, freelance publicist Callum Stephens. They also share evidence that Callum was selling these stories to Dan for exclusives in The Sun.
One of The Sun's biggest exclusives was the announcement that Harry and Meghan were stepping back as senior royals. The announcement of the news came before details were finalized. Many suspected Harry and Meghan leaked it themselves as an out. It put undue stress on the entire royal family and their relationships with the couples. Now it seems Harry is prepared to come clean with his side of the story in the contents of the upcoming lawsuit.
A new investigative report by Byline Investigates is connecting a lot of interesting dots in the royal world. The article details the connection between an editor at UK tabloid The Sun who has come up with countless exclusives on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and a Kensington Palace staffer who used to work for the couple. The relationship is the subject of a formal "Letter Before Action" issued by Harry's lawyers, indicating a lawsuit is to come.
Dan Wootton has published many exclusives about the Sussexes in The Sun. Most notably, he leaked the story that Harry and Meghan were stepping down as senior royals. How was the tabloid getting the biggest news in the UK, especially when it wasn't a done deal at the time the news went public?
The article cites sources connecting Dan with freelance publicist Callum Stephens. Callum's partner, Christian Jones, served as deputy communications secretary to the Sussexes from December 2018 to April 2019 before taking the same job with the Cambridges.
BI notes several sources have alleged The Sun made two payments amounting to £4,000 to Callum. He was paid for stories related to the Sussexes' nanny and godparent choices. The nature of the payments was only noted in the internal News UK accounting code.
Dan and The Sun have not only denied the claim but threatened to sue BI for publishing it. They also declined to share whether or not it was true that this was the subject of an internal investigation that BI believes has been conducted in response to Harry's team's claims.
Dan's lawyers say that The Sun and editor-in-chief Victoria Newton have full confidence in his reporting. Victoria, interestingly enough, is identified as a suspected phone hacker in an unrelated court case between The Sun and Prince Harry.
"Whatever the case and whether it does indeed involve Jones, someone has been briefing The Sun about the Duke and Duchess Sussex's private and family life, which is clearly a matter which requires serious investigation, not least to prevent the misidentification of the person responsible and quash social media speculation," a legal expert told BI.
"These whistle-blower claims have caused panic at The Sun. It is obviously a highly sensitive topic for The Sun and Kensington and Buckingham palaces for different reasons."
"There appears to have been specific targeted intelligence which Prince Harry's lawyers deem credible enough to act on with a legal letter," the expert explains.
"Their professional obligations would not allow them to simply issue such a letter without basis."
"Wootton says he denies criminality but does not say there were no payments for the stories, just that he has acted lawfully, and that he will resort to legal methods to close down reporting on the matter. It raises the question of whether a better, more in-depth investigation needs to take place into allegations right at the heart of the Royal household."
Callum and Christian did not respond to BI, while the Sussex and Cambridge camps declined to comment. An expert on palace protocol expressed that there was protocol for Christian to follow in this situation. They suspect he will now be the subject of an internal inquiry by Buckingham Palace's HR.
It's not the first time the tie between Christian and Dan was examined. Theories on this possible leak source date back nearly a year.
The article takes care to emphasize two points. One is that no one is suggesting William and Kate were involved in these leaks, which is important to note in the ongoing rivalry narrative. Another is that Harry and Meghan were not directly involved in Christian's hiring.
Although it's been seen as a possibility before, the implications of the leak coming from a staffer are pretty huge.
"Moving to Canada, with all the ramifications that was going to have constitutionally and for the Royal family, was one of the biggest decisions of Prince Harry's life, so the giving of this information to a tabloid, which then got to dictate the manner and timing of its announcement, is a serious breach of privacy. Why were the royals not more invested in figuring out how this happened when it happened?" asked the legal source.
One has to look at the possibility that the palace did believe, on some level, that Harry and Meghan were responsible. The idea would be that they were so desperate to get out, despite a measured way of doing so already being in the works, that they expedited the process by leaking themselves. That idea doesn't quite pan out when you consider how much the sudden change of direction burdened them.
If BI's reporting is indicative of what's going on, then it becomes hard to believe that the issue of an internal leak hadn't already caught royal attention. This leads to another theory. Whether Christian directly meant to leak the information or if it was just leaked after he said more than he should have to his partner, were the Cambridges directly or indirectly authorizing the leaks?
If that sounds farfetched, consider that Christian is still, amid this speculation, employed by the Cambridges. Also consider that the Cambridges are currently taking legal action against Tatler for its profile of Kate Middleton, titled "Catherine the Great." That makes it pretty clear where they stand on perceived smear pieces, but no such outrage existed when many Sussex stories went public.
It would also stand to reason that a detail like being paranoid of internal leaks would take a situation Harry and Meghan could once tolerate to a level where they took the action they did. Couple Harry's trauma over what happened with Diana with the fact that the royal family only works, in theory, when they all have each other's back. Recognizing themselves as on the fringes of the family in this way could've been the big push for them to leave.
If that is the case, Harry's decision to handle this as a lawsuit, knowing what could come to light, would be an incredibly telling stand. It could burn bridges between him and the royals in a way that didn't have to happen.
Harry's dedication to protecting Meghan and Archie knows no bounds. If it's perceived as fierce or wrongful to sever ties with whoever doesn't serve their best interests, it's only because he learned from the household he was raised in and cast out of.
