In a raw and deeply personal moment during his ongoing legal battle against News Group Newspapers (NGN), Prince Harry delivered one of the most candid accounts yet of the toll royal life took on his wife, Meghan Markle. Testifying under oath at the High Court in London on January 27, 2026, the Duke of Sussex described Meghan’s experience inside the royal fold as “absolute misery,” revealing previously undisclosed layers of emotional suffering that have left royal observers and the public stunned.

The testimony came as part of Harry’s long-running phone-hacking lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. While the core of the case centers on alleged unlawful information gathering, Harry used his time on the stand to speak broadly about the media environment that he says made life inside the monarchy unbearable for Meghan. “She was subjected to relentless scrutiny, intrusion, and vilification,” Harry told the court. “Her life in the royal family was absolute misery. There were days she didn’t want to get out of bed. She felt trapped, isolated, and completely alone in a system that was supposed to protect her.”

Harry’s words echoed themes from his 2023 memoir Spare and the couple’s 2021 Oprah interview, but the courtroom setting lent them new gravity. He recounted specific incidents of press intrusion—including alleged hacking of Meghan’s private voicemails and text messages during her pregnancy and early motherhood—that he claimed exacerbated her mental health struggles. “She was crying herself to sleep,” he said, his voice breaking at times. “She told me more than once that she didn’t know how much longer she could go on. That level of misery isn’t something you just shake off.”

The Duke emphasized that Meghan had entered royal life with genuine hope and a desire to contribute. “She wanted to serve, to use her platform for good,” he said. “But the constant negativity, the leaks, the lies—it wore her down in ways most people will never understand.” He described her as “a prisoner in a gilded cage,” forced to smile through public appearances while privately battling anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts—claims first aired in the Oprah interview but now reiterated under oath.

Legal experts note that Harry’s testimony, while emotionally charged, is strategically aimed at demonstrating the “enormous harm” caused by tabloid practices, bolstering his claim for damages and reinforcing his broader argument that the British press created an intolerable environment for his family. NGN has consistently denied the hacking allegations and argues that many claims are time-barred or already settled.

The public reaction has been swift and polarized. Supporters of the Sussexes flooded social media with messages of empathy, sharing clips of Harry’s testimony and calling the revelations “heartbreaking.” One viral post read: “Hearing Harry say Meghan’s royal life was ‘absolute misery’ broke me. No one should suffer like that.” Critics, however, accused the Duke of using the courtroom for personal score-settling, with some commentators labeling the testimony “dramatic” and “self-serving.”

Meghan Markle has not commented publicly on her husband’s latest statements, but sources close to the couple say she remains deeply affected by the years of scrutiny. The couple now live in Montecito, California, focusing on their children, Archewell Foundation projects, and media ventures far from the royal spotlight.

As the trial continues, Harry’s testimony has once again thrust the emotional cost of royal life into the spotlight. For many, it serves as a stark reminder that behind the glamour and protocol lies profound human suffering. Whether the court ultimately rules in his favor, Prince Harry’s words have left an indelible mark: Meghan’s royal chapter was not one of privilege and pageantry, but of “absolute misery”—a phrase that will likely echo long after the gavel falls.