CaliToday (14/11/2025): In a stunning and dramatic reversal, a private investigator considered a pivotal figure in Prince Harry's lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail has admitted his bombshell confession of alleged illegal hacking was false.
The investigator, Gavin Burrows, now claims his original written statement from August 2021 which seemingly implicated publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) was a forgery.
This explosive retraction, released by London's High Court, could severely undermine a key pillar of the high-profile privacy case brought by the Duke of Sussex and other celebrities.
"My Signature is a Forgery"
Burrows' original 2021 statement was seen as a major breakthrough for the plaintiffs. However, in his new, notarized testimony, he completely disavows the document that has been central to the legal proceedings.
"I do not [recognize] the earlier witness statement of August 16, 2021, and I believe that my signature on that document is a forgery," Burrows declared in the new statement, first reported by People magazine.
He went further, claiming the confession was crafted by others to frame him.
"A lot of it is not written in my type of language," Burrows stated. "I can confirm that this document was prepared by others without my knowledge."
Crucially, Burrows now unequivocally denies any wrongdoing on behalf of the publisher: "I have never done anything illegal for Associated Newspapers Limited."
High-Stakes Celebrity Lawsuit
This retraction strikes at the heart of a high-stakes legal battle. Prince Harry is part of a prominent group, including Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, and actress Elizabeth Hurley, who have sued ANL.
They allege that the publisher engaged in widespread and "unlawful information gathering," including:
Hiring private investigators to bug homes and cars.
Illegally obtaining private medical information.
"Blagging" financial data and flight details.
Tapping landlines and intercepting phone calls.
ANL, the powerful publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations. The publisher has branded the claims as "lurid" and "preposterous," arguing they are based on unreliable evidence and are part of a coordinated campaign to smear its reputation.
Burrows' original confession was a key piece of evidence the plaintiffs relied on. His retraction now provides significant ammunition for ANL's defense.
William and Kate Also "Targeted"
The case has also threatened to expose sensitivities within the Royal Family. Lawyers for Prince Harry have previously told the High Court that the alleged illegal activities were pervasive and not limited to the Duke.
In a move that highlighted the alleged scope of the publisher's methods, Harry's legal team claimed that his brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were also "targeted" and had their privacy breached by ANL.
Gavin Burrows' stunning reversal now leaves the court in the difficult position of determining which version of his story is true the original confession of illegal acts or the new, sworn statement alleging a sophisticated forgery.