Harry says battles with British press contributed to rift with the royal family

LONDON — Britain’s Prince Harry has blamed the rift between him and much of the rest of the royal family on his ongoing battles with the press.

When asked about the extent to which his fight with the tabloid press “destroyed the relationship with your family,” Harry responded, “I think that’s a certainly a central piece to it,” according to a clip of an interview by Britain’s ITV News that is airing Thursday.

It was “a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he added.

In recent years, Harry has filed three lawsuits against British tabloids. This interview was his first public statement since his four-year battle with the Mirror Group Newspapers concluded with Britain’s High Court ruling in his favor. The court cited evidence of “widespread and habitual” use of phone hacking, hiring private investigators and other methods to uncover details about Harry’s private life