Kate Middleton's Pregnancy with Prince George Was Initially Kept Secret for This Reason, Court Hears
Kate Middleton's Pregnancy with Prince George Was Initially Kept Secret for This Reason, Court Hears
Janine HenniWed, March 11, 2026 at 5:42 PM UTC
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Kate Middleton, Prince George and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital on July 23, 2013 in LondonCredit: Chris Jackson/Getty -
Journalist Charlotte Griffiths claimed that she chose not to report Kate Middleton's pregnancy with Prince George, now 12, to maintain boundaries between her personal and professional life
Griffiths testified in Prince Harry's lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, denying the use of private investigators or phone hacking
She detailed her social connections with royals, including attending events with Prince Harry and learning of Kate's pregnancy privately
A Mail on Sunday editor claimed in court that she chose not to scoop the news of Kate Middleton's pregnancy with Prince George after learning about the news at a private social gathering.
In a witness statement released on March 10, journalist Charlotte Griffiths made the claim as she gave evidence in a lawsuit filed by Prince Harry and several other high-profile figures against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The claimants are accusing the powerful publisher of unlawful information gathering, and Griffiths said in her testimony that she "never used a private investigator or search agent."
ANL is the publisher of several influential titles, including the Mail on Sunday, where Griffiths has worked since 2008. Her title there is now editor at large, and she opened up about her decision not to break the news of Princess Kate's pregnancy with her son Prince George, now 12, before the palace announcement.
Griffiths said that she established her society contacts when she attended school in west London and at the University of Leeds, "studying there at the same time as Chelsy Davy and continuing to socialize in similar high society circles ever since." Chelsy dated Prince Harry in the 2000s, and Griffiths said she met Harry through friends. She alleged that it was also through her social network that she was invited to a "country weekend" that Prince William and Kate Middleton were also expected to attend in the late fall of 2012.
Kate Middleton and Prince George leave the Lindo Wing on July 23, 2013 in London.Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
"Friends invited me to a country weekend in the last week of November/ first weekend of December 2012, which both Prince William and Kate Middleton were also expected to attend. William arrived solo on the Friday and explained that Kate was suffering with morning sickness," Griffiths said in her witness statement. "The fact that she was pregnant with their first child would have been big news, and St. James’ Palace only confirmed it the following Monday because she had to be admitted to hospital. I decided to keep it to myself."
At the time, the journalist was working for the Mail's Diary column and said her editor, Geordie Greig, "was quite annoyed" when he found out that she knew the scoop but didn't report it to him immediately, as they would have broken the news before the palace announcement days later. (On Dec. 3, 2012, the palace announced that Kate was expecting her first child and was admitted to London's King Edward VII Hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe morning sickness. She was discharged four days later, and Prince George was born in July 2013.)
Griffiths maintained that the intel was "information I had learned at a private event and that I was attending in a personal capacity, so I treated it as such. I missed a scoop to maintain my friendships and because I knew where the line was and had decided not to cross it. There are many similar examples I could give, but the point is that this is a principle that I have always maintained and continue to abide by."
Prince William and Kate Middleton leave the King Edward VII hospital in London on Dec. 6, 2012.Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty
Griffiths elsewhere elaborated on separating her private and professional life.
"I draw a line between my professional and own personal social life (as compared to my attending events as a journalist). If I am at an event working and chatting in a social context, I make clear that I am asking questions as a journalist by telling the person that I work for the Mail on Sunday. If I’m attending a private dinner with friends and am told something in confidence, then I treat it as such," she said.
The account about Princess Kate's morning sickness was not the only royal encounter Griffiths shared in her witness statement, as she also claimed that she attended a party that Prince Harry started in June 2012.
Griffiths said that call records show a 2:50 a.m. phone call and three texts between her and Harry on June 9, 2012, claiming, "I have never hacked or tapped a phone" and "The records I have been shown had nothing to do with a story or my job."
As mentioned earlier in her testimony, Griffiths said that she "socialized in some of the same circles as the younger royals, having gone to Leeds University with some of their group and attended the same parties in Ibiza, and continued to spend time with those people after moving to London in my twenties. Our social life at the time tended to revolve around night clubs and house parties."
The journalist said that Harry had friended her on Facebook and sent her his number in 2011, but that she "did not know Prince Harry particularly well and do not remember messaging him often."
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Elaborating on the context of their June 2012 communication, Griffiths said, "I do remember that around that date I had been out at a club night with our mutual friend — Arthur — who then invited me back to his house for an afterparty. Arthur hadn’t made it home by the time that I arrived but told me Prince Harry was staying at the flat and that the party had already started under Prince Harry's watch. He told me that Prince Harry would let me in if I made it there first."
"The music was loud, and they didn't hear the doorbell, so Arthur advised me to call and text to be let in. That particular night stuck in my mind as I remember it was around the time of the Trooping of the Colour, and we all thought it was quite funny that Prince Harry had stayed up all night and said he had to go to that or something related in the morning," she continued, referencing the British Army's annual military parade to commemorate the monarch's official birthday.
"I remember joking with another friend who was at the party that we should go along to watch, and so I think my text to him in the morning would have either been to see if he made it or to tell him that we weren't coming as we had only got to bed in the early hours of the morning," she said. "I don't think I ever called or texted him again."
In 2012, Trooping the Colour was held on Saturday, June 16, making June 9 — a Saturday — one week before the celebration.
Prince Harry travels by carriage at Trooping the Colour on June 16, 2012 in London.Credit: Indigo/Getty
In January, Prince Harry countered the Mail's claim that their reporters were part of his inner circle of friends when he testified against ANL in court in London.
The publisher claimed that the prince contacted Griffiths using a Facebook profile with the name "Mr. Mischief," an allegation that Harry denied. The Duke of Sussex said that he "never used the name Mr. Mischief" and had "no idea" if he had ever messaged Griffiths.
It was also claimed that Harry and Griffiths had met at a house party on the Spanish island of Ibiza, but Harry replied, "The only time I have been to Ibiza is with my wife and son." (Harry and Meghan Markle visited Ibiza in 2019, with their son, Prince Archie, now 6.)
The Duke of Sussex claimed the only time he ever met Griffiths was at a house party thrown by his friend, Arthur Landon, and immediately cut contact with her once he learned she was a journalist.
"My social circles were not leaky,” he insisted in court.
Prince Harry arrives during a court case against Associated Newspapers Ltd at The Royal Courts of Justice on Jan. 22, 2026 in London.Credit: Neil Mockford/GC Images
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Prince Harry's lawsuit against ANL is his last in a series of lawsuits against the British media, following years of litigation over alleged, unlawful tabloid practices. ANL has strenuously denied the allegations lodged against it, arguing that its reporting was sourced legitimately.
The trial began in London's High Court on Jan. 19 and is due to conclude this month.
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