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Prince Harry will be the first British royal to testify since Edward VII


Prince Harry’s evidence is expected on Tuesday A prominent member of the British royal family will be cross-examined in court for the first time in more than 130 years in the phone hacking case.

The last time this happened was in 1891, and it did not go in the royal family’s favor.

Prince Albert Edward — Queen Victoria’s eldest son, who became King Edward VII in 1901 — testified as a witness in a libel case centered on a botched baccarat game in which the prince was present.

One of the players, Sir William Gordon-Cumming, was accused of cheating. The Prince sided with the accusers and Mr Gordon-Cumming lost the case.

Local report since quoted by The Guardian, said that Edward’s testimony lasted about 20 minutes and that it “made him very tired and extremely nervous.” The report also said he was unable to sit still. It was also unusual then for such a prominent member of the royal family—the future king no less—to appear before the court.

“When he was asked a more pressing question, more relevant than usual, the prince’s face reddened noticeably, and then turned white again,” the report says.

Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, said: “After reading this you can understand why it was subsequently decided that this was not what the royal family wanted. It showed that you can’t completely shield even the Queen’s son from cross-examination.

The book was published in 1899 showed Edward’s letter in which he condemned the scandal and expressed the “deep pain and annoyance” he felt over it.

“The recent trial, which no one deplores more than myself, and which I was powerless to prevent, has given the press an occasion for the most bitter and unjust attacks on me, knowing that I am defenceless,” wrote Edward.

He continued: “Now the whole thing has died down and so I think it would be inappropriate for me to publicly mention again a painful subject that brought me such a stream of abuse.”

Edward’s testimony in 1891 was not the future king’s first time in court. Two decades earlier, he was a witness in the divorce proceedings of Harriet Mordaunt, the wife of a member of the English Parliament, who named Edward as one of her lovers. (Edward denied this in court.) During that trial, Edward appeared to be on the witness stand for only a few minutes, Mr. Fitzwilliams said, and the appearance appeared to have less impact on his reputation.

Edward, known to those close to him as “Bertie”, had a reputation as a womanizer. love to play cards.

There are key differences between Harry’s scheduled court appearance on Tuesday and Edward’s. Edward was called as a witness both times he appeared in court, while Harry is one of the plaintiffs, meaning he probably knew cross-examination was in his future.

Also, although Harry is a high-ranking member of the royal family, he is no longer a member of the royal family. And he was never first in line to the throne, unlike Edward, who was the crown prince. Still, if the questions confuse Harry, it can be embarrassing, experts say.

“There won’t be the safety net that he had during the various interviews,” said Mr. Fitzwilliams, the royal insider.

Not all the press was hostile to Edward in 1891. In an article about v the last day In depositions in the baccarat libel case, The New York Times wrote that he was “as affable as ever” and “impeccably dressed.”

Edward was king for only nine years. In 1910 he died of pneumonialeaving the throne to his son George V.

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